searching for a way
by Ichiyume
Summary: Vincent sets out to find a way to release Chaos from his mind, but Tifa won't let him go alone. What will happen between him and Yuffie as the journey progresses? This is my first fanfiction so please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Searching for a Way

A/n: hello! Ichiyume here, by the way this is my first time writing a fanfic, so please give all the help u can! To summarize it up, the story takes place just a bit after Advent Children, they all live at clouds house for the time being(I made it big) and when Vincent tells them he is leaving to find a way to get rid of chaos, the demon inside him, Yuffie ends up going with him. What will happen? Read to find out! And I am begging all readers to submit a review! Ill give u a virtual cookie…well anyways, on with the fic!

Oo00oO

The sun was setting on the evening sky over the hills, its fiery orange glow gently slipping over the horizon as the night invaded silently, the stars twinkling like diamonds. Yuffie sat outside, humming to herself on the grass when she saw the torn red fabric of Vincent's cape in her face.

"What's up Vinny?" Yuffie asked in her cheerful manner, pushing aside the fabric blocking her face from the view of the sunset.

"Tifa sent me to tell you its time to eat," he grunted, pulling his cloak away from her. He stalked off to the house with Yuffie on his heels. Vincent flinched slightly at the headache the demon inside him was giving.

Yuffie noticed and looked at him questioningly. "Hey Vinny, that jerk in your head bothering you again? Man, that must suck to have another voice ranting on and on-"

"Shut up child," Vincent told her coldly. "You know nothing of the matter." His crimson pools bored into her, forcing her to look away. Yuffie picked up speed and jogged towards the house. Something told her to not poke fun at Vincent at the moment.

**Is it your hobby to chase everyone away again? **Chaos, the demon inside him asked.

_She doesn't even know when to keep her mouth shut. Neither do you for that matter. _

**Yes well, you can't kick me away, now can you? **Chaos retorted.

_That is until I set out tomorrow. I will find a way to get you out of my damned head once and for all so I can actually be alive!_

**Fine. Though your attempts will be in vain, go ahead and try. **

Vincent quickened his pace to the house. He planned on telling them he was leaving at dawn tomorrow during dinner, in hopes they would not accompany him. How wrong he was though.

It was now evening and they had finished dinner and were talking by the fireside. Tifa and Cloud were busy preparing to make room in the house for the baby that would be born soon, Red XIII sat by the fire, Barrett and Cid were drinking their 5th beer, and while Yuffie and Cait Sith were laughing about something he couldn't here. It was now or never.

"Excuse me, but I need to inform you all of something," Vincent said firmly, getting everyone's attention.

"What's wrong Vince?" Cloud inquired, scratching his spiky haired head.

"I am leaving at dawn tomorrow to search for a way to part Chaos from my mind," he told them. "I do not know when or if I will be back."

"Vince! Why didn't you tell us?" they protested.

"This was something I must do on my own," Vincent said in monotone.

"Absolutely not!" Tifa objected. "This mission is going to lead all over the world for crying out loud! Do you think you can handle all those monsters solo? You have to take one of us with you, or we will bar the doors!"

Vincent sighed. Pregnant or not, Tifa was persuasive. If he didn't take someone, then he would be lucky to ever see the light of day again. "Are you saying you will join me Miss Strife? Surely you don't plan to travel in your condition."

"Well, you have options other than me and Cloud you know. Why don't we narrow things down, eh?" She asked him casually, hands resting on her huge stomach. "Like I said, Cloud and I are out since we have a baby due next month. Barrett and Cid are out because Barrett is taking care of Marlene and Cid would waste all of your Gil on his drinking problem. Red promised to stay and baby-sit when the time came, so that leaves Cait Sith and Yuffie. Take your pick."

To Vincent, The choice was obvious. As annoying as Yuffie was, Cait Sith was worse than Chaos. He pointed at Yuffie, who promptly screamed. "I'm stuck with vampie? He's gonna suck my blood out when I'm asleep!" She whined.

Vincent inwardly rolled his eyes. "Yuffie, would you rather face the wrath of Tifa?" He had her there. Yuffie sighed and brought her arms up in defeat. "Alright I'll go. As long as we are on land as much as possible. I hate motion sickness."

"We leave at dawn Yuffie, I suggest you pack and then rest." He did not like this much more than she did. Yuffie in his mind was an annoying child who would get in his way, or drag him into trouble. Yet some part in the back of his mind was enjoying this fact.

**Brighten up already, host. You must admit she is kind of cute. **Chaos told him.

_There is an age difference of ten years for god sake! Get that thought out of your sick, twisted mind already! _Vincent shouted at him mentally. Though he was afraid to admit it, Yuffie's appearance did change for the better. Her chocolate hair grew out a bit to her shoulder. Her body filled out perfectly and her waist stayed slender, as did her legs. Though Vincent quickly shook these thoughts from his mind. "Have to do something about that perverted demon," he muttered. An awkward silence settled in.

"Um, I'm getting up early tomorrow anyways; I'll see you two off!" Cloud said, breaking the silence. Vincent just sighed and went up to his room to pack, Yuffie up ahead of him in her room (she had disappeared like, a half hour ago when Vincent told her to go pack and rest.). When he noticed her door open, he glanced inside on his way to his room and found she was already done packing and softly asleep on her bed. Though something seemed different with her than usual. She was tossing and turning and her face was sweaty. He was slightly concerned. What event could cause such distress in her sleep? He quietly crept in her room and tapped her shoulder. She awoke with a scream and came flying up, her head knocking into his and forcing him backwards. Gasping for air and rubbing her head she looked at Vincent apologetically.

"Sorry Vinny," She stated, flushing inwardly that he actually came into her room. "You weren't trying to suck my blood were you? I knew you were a vampire!"

"Actually, Yuffie, I saw you tossing and turning. I thought it would be wise to check on you and make sure your okay."

She looked at him with a shocked expression. "You mean to say that you actually cared about me? Wow, that's a first! Well, thanks a bunch Vinny!"

Vincent smirked at her playful behavior. But that didn't amused expression was quickly replaced by a serious, concerned face. "Now are you gonna tell me why you were having that bad of a dream?"

"Um, I have to go, uh . . . pack provisions! Sorry, we can continue this talk later!" She told him nervously. Yuffie edged around him and went down to the kitchen to ask Tifa if she could back some jerky and dried fruits. This behavior deeply puzzled Vincent. But he knew one thing for a fact: that her terms of talking about it later probably meant that she would never tell him unless Death Penalty was at her throat. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. That girl had a hard skull! Vincent decided not to worry about it until later. The best thing right now would be to prepare for the journey ahead. He went to his room to pack what belongings he had and then get some rest before tomorrow.

Oo00oO

"Thanks Tifa!" Yuffie exclaimed as she swung a bag onto her back. "Are you sure you didn't over pack?"

"Well . . . you got to be ready for anything, right?" She said shyly, rubbing her swollen stomach proudly.

"Yeah, let me know when the baby is born, okay?" Yuffie s asked cheerfully. "Oh yeah, who's its god mother gonna be? Huh? Huuuuh?"

Tifa chuckled. "If you are offering, that would be nice Yuffie. Just don't turn the poor kid into a mini Yuffie . . . Leviathan help us then!"

Yuffie squealed with delight. Tifa quizzically raised and eyebrow at this. "Since when have you done anything girly?"

"Hey! Hey! Hey! I'm not a total tomboy!" Yuffie protested. "Well, I've got to get some sleep. Got a long day tomorrow eh?"

"Yuffie, I heard you scream and then a grunt that sounded like Vincent, then a small crash. Is everything okay?" Yuffie froze in her tracks. How the hell was she gonna explain this? "Well, uh, you see, I was having a bad dream, and I felt someone tap me, so I screamed at sat bolt upright, when Vinny's head was in the way, and the impact made him fall over. Heh Heh." Once again Tifa's eyebrow shot up. "You mean to tell me that Vincent Valentine, the guy who is annoyed by most of all – aside from Cait Sith- was worried about you enough to check on you?"

Yuffie wrung her wrists behind her back, letting the provisions gently hit the floor, her face almost a burgundy color. "Yeah, well, who knew, eh? Well, see yah in the morning" With that said, Yuffie bolted upstairs, almost knocking over Cloud on the way, and went straight into her room, not hesitating to violently slam the door.

"What was that all about?" Cloud exclaimed, recovering from almost landing flat on his face. Tifa put her hands behind her back and stared at the ceiling for a minute. "Well," She drawled. "I think she likes Vincent," She blurted out as she went over to his embrace. If Yuffie was shocked, then cloud was utterly frozen. He looked down into Tifa's beautiful wine red eyes and chuckled. "Well, let's see what happens. But my money is on Vincent likes her like that, but he is afraid to let go of Lucrecia. Either that or the difference in age." Tifa giggled. "I'm banking on Yuffie wants to tell him, but something is holding her back . . . probably the fact that Vincent might go after her with Death Penalty." Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Is that a bet that's tugging at me?" He asked her playfully. "The usual?" Tifa asked. Cloud laughed and held her closer. "The usual!" Cloud kissed her on the forehead and they went up to bed.

Oo00oO

"Yuffie! Get up!" Cloud screamed into Yuffie's ear. He sighed in defeat. Why did she have to sleep like a rock? He grabbed her arm and unceremoniously dropped her on the floor. That woke her up fast. "CLOUD, GODDAMMIT, IF YOUR GONNA WAKE ME UP, DUMPING ME ON THE FLOOR LIKE A PILE OF GARBAGE IS NOT WHAT YOU DO!"

Cloud sighed. "You sleep like a rock Yuffie. How do you wake up in time for anything anyway?"

"Simple," Yuffie growled. "When I'm here, I feel safe, so I let my guard down. When I'm traveling, I never know what will happen, so I'm alert 24/7. Okay?"

Cloud chuckled. That explains why you're leaving in 20 minutes, right? Yuffie screamed. "Get out now Cloud! I have to get ready and I mean quick, so out, out, out!" She shoved him out of the room so she could get dressed (Basically she is just wearing what she would wear in advent children) She bolted downstairs with her bags. And it was 5 minutes from leaving. Vincent smirked when he saw her literally fly down the stairs after the 'wake up call' Tifa sent Cloud for. "Come one," Vincent told her, pulling Death Penalty into its holster. Yuffie strung Conformer on her back and shouldered her satchel that held all necessary items for the journey. "I plan to be in Midgar in three days or sooner. Let's get going." Vincent walked out the door, nodding at Cloud and Tifa to say goodbye. Yuffie gave Tifa a hug, careful of her rounded belly. "You make sure to tell me when the baby is born. I have my PHS with me, so contact me anytime you need to. And to you Cloud, I hope your not waking up Tifa like how you dumped me out of bed this morning, or else I would be sure to whack you with my Conformer a good few times!" Cloud chuckled, scratching his spiky hair. "Never have, never will!"

Yuffie smiled and ran after Vincent waving a last time. When she finally caught up with Vincent, she saw the sun just letting its orange glow over the horizon. It was going to be a long day. They mostly walked in silence, Yuffie with her eyes intent on Vincent. He seemed a bit troubled. _You know, he is kind of cute . . . what is up with me? This is VINNIE we are talking about. Although he has been caring about others more than he did when we kicked Sephiroth's butt again . . . I wonder what's gotten into him._

"Vincent?" Yuffie asked nervously, averting her eyes to the ground.

Vincent turned around, a questioning look on his face. Yuffie had never called him by his real name. "Is something wrong Yuffie?" He let his pack gently slide to the ground, and came a bit closer to her. Yuffie rubbed her arm behind her back kept her eyes downcast and one of her feet rubbed the dirt road precariously. "Uh, I guess you could say that." Vincent looked at her seriously. "Just tell me. Your eyes are downcast and they are glancing all over. That is a sign of confusion. You're rubbing one of your arms behind your back, so you're nervous. And your foot is cautiously rubbing around in the dirt. You only do that when you feel like you are vulnerable. Something is seriously on your mind, and you better tell me now or I will find out sooner or later."

Yuffie looked stunned. "How do you know my habits?" she asked suspiciously. Vincent scratched the back of his neck with his human arm. "Don't forget Yuffie, you learn things of the sort when you travel with others.

"**Psh! You're falling for her, I can just see it!"**

_"Shut up, you damn demon! I can't wait to get you out of my head!"_

"**That Tifa, or whatever you call her, couldn't name her habits like that. Hell, none of your team mates could do that. You like her, admit it!" **Vincent didn't respond to him.

"You see, it concern's my family," Yuffie began. "Just recently, one of my father's handmaiden's gave birth to a baby boy. My father loved her, so when she died in child birth, he died with her. True, my family now has an heir to the throne, since men have priority over the crown, but I've lost my mother and my father. I found out a week ago, that was why I was having a nightmare. Relatives are gonna keep Wutai in order until the baby is old enough to rule, but . . . you understand my point by now."

Vincent looked shocked. He never realized how delicate and frail her condition was. She was now an orphan, and she couldn't take much more of people close to her dying. He saw a small droplet of water hit the dry road. She was crying! He was speechless. As much as he hated to make physical contact with others unless it was necessary, but seeing one of his companion's suffer like this overpowered that. He went over to her and pulled her into a tender embrace, noticing how small and light she was.

_Does she even eat? She feels as light as if she was being starved for weeks! But then again, she probably lost her appetite for a bit when she found out about her father . . ._

Yuffie softly let out tears in the folds of Vincent's cloak. She absolutely refused to openly weep in front of him. All she needed was to let out her tears that had been bottled up for a week. After five minutes, she reluctantly pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Thank you," she told him gratefully. "I've needed to do that for about a week." She picked up her pack and gave him a weak smile. "Let's move on now. It's almost noon!" She ran down the road and called down to him, "You wanted to get to Midgar in a few days right? Then let's go!" Her cheerfulness had returned.

Vincent sighed, picked up his bag and followed after her. This would be an interesting venture.

Oo00oO

It was nightfall, and both Yuffie and Vincent decided to camp for the day. After the fire had been made, they ate a small portion of the provisions Tifa had given them. When they had laid out their bed rolls and started to go to sleep, Yuffie turned to Vincent and told him, "Thanks . . . Vincent." Shortly after, she fell into a dreamless sleep. When they awoke in morning, they set out immediately after they had eaten and repacked their bedrolls. They didn't get too far, because they were attacked by 6 monsters. Vincent took out Death Penalty and shot down two while Yuffie held some others off with her Conformer.

"Hey Vinnie, a monster is behind you!" Yuffie yelled at him. Vincent turned and fired immediately, killing it. A cry of pain came from Yuffie as a wolf sunk its teeth into her shoulder. Vincent fired at it with amazing precision. The fight was over after that. Yuffie sunk down to her knees, wincing at the pain from her shoulder. She went through her bags and got out a cure materia, when she noticed something. A tooth from the wolf had actually stayed in her shoulder when it died. If she used her materia now, it would still be in there. "Um, we got a problem Vinnie," She told him weakly. The monster's tooth found a way to still be lodged into my shoulder when it died."

Vincent went over to her and dug into his pack, and pulled out a small knife. "I need to use this to pry it out. It will hurt, so you must brace yourself." Yuffie nodded. She bit down on her lower lip her eyes shut. She felt the knife slide into the wound and push out the tooth. "OWWW," She cried out. Vincent quickly picked up the cure materia and used it over the wound. She tested her shoulder and quickly put it down by her side. "It will be sore for a bit, but a night's rest should take care of it." Yuffie put Conformer on her back and used her good shoulder to sling her pack over.

"Let's move," Vincent told her. "We have to be within twenty miles of Midgar by tonight." Yuffie checked something on her ankle that he couldn't see (She covered it with her hand) then nodded and followed him. Yuffie looked at the hills around her for a few minutes before yelling, "BORED!" She looked at Vincent leadingly. "Vinnie, just say something! I'm bored out of my mind!"

Vincent sighed. He knew it was only a matter of time before she would burst out like this. "Something. Happy?" Yuffie pouted and kicked the dirt road. "Isn't there anything you wanna talk about?"

"If I ask, do you promise not to get touchy about it?" His blood red eyes crossed her storm grey ones sternly. "Sure thing, just ask!" He stopped walking and looked her straight in the face, his eyes boring into her. "If your father did so much to wreck Wutai, why are you mourning his death? You always act like you hated him." Yuffie faltered for a moment, pondering this before answering.

"Before mom died, he was great. He kept things in order; he was always happy and kind, thinking about the country. When Shinra came . . ." She clenched her fists in rage. "Everything changed. He got worse when war came upon us. The father I remember was long gone at that point, but I mourn the death of the father I once knew, not the one that brought Wutai crumbling to its knees." She averted from his gaze temporarily, and then looked back up serenely, a sweet smile on her face. "Anything else bugging you Vinnie? Don't you have any clues or whatever to how you gonna get that jerk out of your head?"

"I uncovered a text at one point. It wasn't all that helpful, it just told me to start in Midgar, and if I don't find the right way to rid this damn demon from my head, I will be blown into oblivion."

**Hey, I heard that!**

_Good. It's about time you did. _

"Vinnie! Your actually gonna take a risk like that?" Yuffie had jumped out in front of him; her arms barred his path, her eyes seething with worry. Vincent just sighed and pushed past her arm blockade. "Yes Yuffie, I am willing to risk my life to be free of the evil lurking inside me. It's the only way I can atone for my sins . . . for Lucrecia . . . beautiful Lucrecia . . ."

" . . ." Yuffie was actually speechless for the first time in years. He still couldn't get over that girl. She watched him intently as he kept his gaze lowered, sadness fixed on his face just barely visible. But the emotion snapped out of him the second it hit him.

_I am a monster. I feel no emotion. _

"Vincent . . . the more you think of it, the worse it gets on you. Just move the hell on already." Yuffie spoke. Her voice was firm, her chin raised, challenging him to retaliate. A challenge he accepted. Vincent slapped her across the cheek, anger rising in his crimson eyes. "Shut the hell up on matters you don't know you damned child," he told her coldly. "Matters I don't know? Matters of losing someone you love and you can't do anything about it? Matters of seeing someone you truly love and care about die right in front of you while you are helpless to save them? I am all too familiar with that Valentine, so maybe you should snap out of the thought that you're the only one who knows about that kind of pain." She shot what felt like shocks of lightning from her storm eyes, eyes that burned with fury that made his seem like a small annoyance. She sighed and stepped out of his way. "Lead on." Vincent walked on, thinking over the past few minutes they just went through.

**You hit a nerve, that's for sure.**

_What do you care? _

**Does it matter? If this actually works, I'll just take the girl myself.**

_You better not you damn demon. _

**Apologizing might ease your situation idiot. **

_Since when am I supposed to listen to a bastard like you?_

**Since this 'bastard' knows what he's talking about.**

They set up camp late that night, though they had gone seven miles longer than planned for that day. The shinobi ate less than yesterday and then went to bed immediately after. Vincent took a little longer to sleep though. He glanced at her ankle where she reached earlier and saw an anklet made of string that varied in shades of green. The ties had small silver charms on it, a crescent moon and a Wutaian flower. It didn't take him long to figure out it was her mother's.

_That's why she checked it after the battle. She didn't want it to be damaged._

He decided to apologize once in town. He needed time to mull things over. They awoke later than usual that day, but if they maintained the same as yesterday, they would reach Midgar by mid afternoon, giving Vincent time to study files that might give information on how to get Chaos out of him and Yuffie time to rest and get in contact with Tifa on her PHS.

After going through three battles, two wounds on both of them, they made it to Midgar in one piece by 4 pm. They immediately headed to the inn first to get a room to stay in. When they got in their room, Yuffie picked the bed by the window and flopped on it with a grateful sigh. "So where are you gonna start researching?"

"I don't know. This visit could last a few days. I might require your help tomorrow, but for now, rest and get in contact with the others and check up on them." Yuffie nodded in agreement. With one swing of his cloak, Vincent left the room.

**What happened to apologizing?**

_Later. When I come in tonight, I will apologize._

Yuffie excitedly pulled out her PHS and called over Tifa. "Hello?" came Tifa's voice. "Hi Tifa!" Yuffie exclaimed into the device. "Me and Vinnie made it in to Midgar in one piece."

"That's good to hear. The baby will be out in a week! I'm so excited!" Tifa informed her cheerfully. Yuffie squealed. "You better call me right after it's born, you hear me?" Tifa giggled. "Oh! I almost forgot . . ." Yuffie heard a click, and then she was actually able to see Tifa's face, smiling up at her. "Whoa! Tifa, this is really cool!" Tifa smiled triumphantly. "How do I make you see me?" She asked eagerly.

"The blue switch on the back," Tifa instructed. "Cloud added these a few weeks ago." Sure enough, Yuffie found a small blue switch on the back. She heard it click then looked back at Tifa. "Did it work?"

"Yup! But I need your opinion on something." Tifa pointed the PHS to her pregnancy. "Oh? What do you need an opinion on?" Tifa pointed the PHS back to her face. "What do you think of the name Kai for the baby? I thought it was a good universal name. Just Kai if it's a boy and Kailen if it's a girl."

"They sound good to me," came Yuffie's approval. Tifa giggled. She turned her head to the side and yelled, "She likes them Cloud!" Yuffie heard a distant,"That's good!" And a blonde spiky head popped into view.

"Hey Cloud, how've things been with preparing for the baby?" Yuffie sat up on the bed. "Hard! Tifa has way too many cravings for me to keep up with!" Cloud sweat dropped and earned a small elbow from Tifa. "Do you wanna have the baby? I would trade any day!" Cloud gave her a small smile. Tifa sighed. "Alright, well, we gotta go now Yuffie. Tell Vincent we say hi."

"Will do Tifa, bye guys!" Yuffie waved before flipping the switch on the back and headed in the shower.

Oo00oO

Tifa turned off the PHS and stuffed it in her pocket then turned to Cloud. "I think I forgot to mention something to her," She told him playfully. Cloud raised an eyebrow. "I forgot to say that Red never said he would baby-sit when the baby was born." A smile played across his face. "You really shouldn't be playing matchmaker like this." Tifa leaned her head on his shoulder. "They just seem so perfect though. It may not look it at first but if you really think about, the only time Vincent was even near normal was around Yuffie. And Yuffie always seemed to act a little bit different around Vincent. She always hid her face and leaned against something if he was within three feet of her."

Cloud's brow furrowed as he scratched the back of his head, thinking over the information given. He just smiled and kissed her. when he pulled back, he told her, "This will be an interesting adventure for those two."

Yes! The first chapter is done! Took me long enough, I know, but this is my first fan fiction, so please review. Flames are welcome, as long as they aren't the bitch slap in the face kind. So see the pretty review button. You can just hear it calling 'click me' right? Ichi out!


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: Oh my gosh, thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers! You were all very awesome with your reviews! I promise that I will update as soon as I can! You all get a cookie! Yup, those little things in the internet that help your computer remember stuff! Well, my apologies to one of my reviewers if I made Vincent a little harsh, but I'm working on it. Same if I made Yuffie seem a little bit out of character. Wow, I need to make smaller author notes… oh yeah, one more thing! I promise to mention all of my awesome reviewers every 3 chapters, so don't be afraid to click that pretty button in the bottom left corner of the screen! Enjoy the fic! Disclaimers apply here(I forgot one last chappie, so this is for last one too)

Yuffie stepped into the warm shower, letting it wash away all her worries. Vincent went way out of line. True, she was annoying but when she said that he should move on, it was because she knew Lucrecia wouldn't want him to be so depressed all his life. If she truly did love him, she would want him to be happy, right? Something told her that if she pestered him off like this, he would just aim Death Penalty at her face and say 'you know nothing of such matters'. As she stepped out of the shower, she looked down at the anklet her mother gave her shortly before she passed from illness. "Mom, what do I do?" Yuffie looked at the ceiling, almost pleading for a reply. When all she heard was the fan blowing out the steam, she sighed and put on fresh clothes.

"Bored!" Yuffie yelled at the ceiling flopping on the bed. She heard her stomach growl. "Heh, I guess I better find something to eat other than jerky and dried fruit!" She hopped back up and after quickly brushing out her hair, went down stairs to find a bite to eat. Yuffie went to the clerk and politely asked, "Excuse me ma'am, do you know where I can grab a bit to eat?" The clerk smiled at her and pointed down the hall to her right. "Turn left from there miss. Enjoy your stay." Yuffie nodded her thanks and skipped down to eat something. She walked into a small room with tables and chairs all over. She went to the counter and asked for a Wutaian salad. As she ate, she kept her ears open to others conversations for any information that might be useful.

As Yuffie was just finishing up, a big burly man walked by with a bag that had a glow of materia inside it loosely attached to his belt. Yuffie grinned evilly. She left enough Gil to pay for her dinner and tried to seem as innocent as she could as she 'accidentally' bumped into the man. She acted startled and looked up at him with her widest cutest eyes. "I'm sorry good sir," She said meekly, her hand nimbly relieving him of the bag of materia at his hip, the other tucked hair behind her ear. "Not a problem child," The man told her happily. Yuffie smiled weakly, and went passed him, losing her innocent look and replaced it to that of victory. When the big man was out of sight, she bolted for her room, laughing as she went.

When Yuffie got back into her room, she jumped on to her bed and excitedly, digging into the bag to see how much materia he had. She smiled triumphantly. 5 materia were nestled into the bag. "What does he have," Yuffie asked aloud cheerfully. "Let's see, Barrier, Thunder, Cure 2, Fire 2, and . . ." Yuffie reached her hand further to pull the last one out. "Blizzard. Well, it's not the best materia I've seen, but I must say, that 'innocent child' act was probably one of the better of them! Now then Vinnie better be back soon!"

Oo00oO

Vincent was surrounded by piles upon piles of files that had even the smallest hint of where to go from here. He rested his head in his hands. Nothing had given him even the smallest hint. He looked at the file to his left in the slowly shrinking 'to be looked at' pile. It was titled Demon Parasite Bane. Vincent sighed and opened it. This one was different than the others. It was written in almost a riddled fashion. It read:

_Oh cursed one,_

_Hath thee given up?_

_Thy demon will be lifted, _

_Though thy's mind often drifted. _

_This little poem shall tell thee _

_The secret to forever be free_

_Atop one hill shall you join four stones _

_They represent human emotions, down to the bone_

_Valor, compassion, selflessness, love_

_Molded in ice in mountains above_

_They shall mold, then dispel_

_Sending demons to where they fell_

_Thy's first quest is that of Valor_

_A guardian of stone _

_Looking over a quiet town_

_Standing alone,_

_Red rock just down. _

_Go now,_

_For you have your clue_

_When the stone has appeared_

_Another will be there for you_

Vincent immediately wrote this on paper and folded it neatly inside his pocket. He finally found a sufficient clue to get Chaos booted from his head forever!

**By the hell that spawned me, did you just find a way so I can get out of this cramped head? **

_Yes, you bastard, I found a way out of this. _

**This is gonna be the first and last time I actually thank you for wasting your time with this crap. **

Vincent strode out of the room he was researching in and made his way out to the inn. He and Yuffie would have to figure out where this 'guardian of stone' is. As he made his way towards the inn, he did something no member of AVALANCHE had ever seen him do. He smiled. It was small but it was there. "One more step to humanity over with," Vincent whispered to himself before returning to the Vincent we all know and love.

Oo00oO

Yuffie just finished socketing some of the stolen materia into Conformer. "So lets see, I have Barrier, courtesy of my 'donations', fire 3, and Leviathan. I think that works out well enough." She put aside her newly cleaned armor and Conformer, settling on the bed. She had restocked their items and provisions, cleaned her armor, and swiped some materia. Yuffie thought it was pretty good for one day's work. She heard the door click and Vincent strode in the room, throwing a piece of paper on her lap.

"Read that," He instructed. "It hints to where we must head next." He sat on his bed across from her, watching her eyes scan over the information. She handed it back to him, her brow furrowed in trying to think of the answer. After a few minutes, Yuffie broke the silence by giving her answer. "I think its pointing us towards Cosmos Canyon. The guardian of stone must be Red's father."

"I was thinking along the same lines," Vincent replied. "From where we are, it will take us a week at best to get there if we take a boat." Yuffie's head snapped up. "We have to take a boat?" She asked pleadingly. Vincent sighed.

"Yes Yuffie. We must take a boat. If you wish I can give you tranquilizer in the morning." The ninja shifted on the bed so she was lying on her back. "Sounds good to me. Motion sickness is not exactly my favorite thing in the world. Well, I'm gonna go to sleep."

"Yuffie, before you go to sleep, I must apologize about my behavior earlier," He told her, his crimson pools gazing down into storm ones. "I should have understood that you have suffered as much as I, and the way I reacted to you was wrong." His eyes never moved his gaze. For some reason, he couldn't turn away at that moment. The moonlight gently lit Yuffie's tan skin, her storm eyes reflecting the glittering stars as they watched this rare moment of silence.

"It's okay Vinnie," She said sympathetically. "I probably shouldn't have said what I did about someone you lost. I just thought that if someone died and left behind someone you care about, you wouldn't want them to live in misery because of that person's death. That they would want them to live happily and not mope about, beating them up over the fact that they couldn't save that person, you know?"

Vincent finally broke the gaze, nodding at Yuffie's statement. "Good night Yuffie," He told her.

"Good night," She replied, giving him a small smile before closing her eyes and slipping off into a restful, dreamless sleep. Although, Vincent was troubled by what Yuffie had told him. Would Lucrecia truly want him to be happy even if she had passed away? If she didn't, did that mean she did not really love him, and that he could not control her going to Hojo? As much as this new load of doubts overwhelmed him, he had to be ready for tomorrow. A seasick Yuffie was not the easiest thing to take care of.

Oo00oO

Yuffie felt a nudge on her shoulder. She wearily peeped open one eye, and smiled groggily. "Good morning Vinnie," Yuffie half said, half yawned. "Good morning," came his monotone reply. Yuffie got out of bed and stretched. They ate breakfast and started to head out to the boats. "How are Tifa and Cloud holding up?" Vincent asked out of nowhere.

"Great! The baby will be born in a wee—" That sentence was left never finished as the tranquilizer needle slid into the nape of her neck and she fell backwards into Vincent's arms, unconscious. Vincent scooped her up and carried her bridal style to their next destination; the boat.

Vincent went to the front desk by the wharf. "Two tickets to the next boat that will be arriving within a day's walk to Cosmos Canyon please." He handed over the necessary amount of Gil and took the tickets, heading off to the appropriate boat.

"All aboard! We leave in two minutes!" One of the crew members yelled as Vincent slipped on board. He went up to the prow of the boat and found a few crates to sit on. He leaned against the wall that led down to the mess room (A/n: I think the mess room is where the crew goes to eat.) and glanced down to the sleeping girl in his arms. Yuffie was snuggled up against him, a serene smile on her face as she drifted into her dreams. Vincent once again gave off one of those rare and small smiles.

_She's so peaceful like this. As if there wasn't anything in the world to care for. _

**Why don't you try sleeping for once? Afraid of the nightmares?**

_More like I don't want you poking your head in the one place I don't want you too. _

**For some reason, whenever that girl touches you, I feel pain. With how she's snuggled up to you right now, I can hardly even move. If you want to sleep, you just lucked out you ass**

Vincent thought about this questioningly. Chaos feels pain every time Yuffie so much as touches him? He decided it would be better to think about it later, and try sleeping for once, while the demon was held back. He flung his cloak around the two of them, and closed his eyes as he experienced sleep for the first time in years.

Yuffie woke up first, but soon after, so did Vincent. When she woke, she was in a sea of black and crimson. She felt two strong arms around her; one human, the other was a golden claw. She looked up to see Vincent with his head leaned against the wall and eyes closed. "He's actually sleeping?" Yuffie whispered. Vincent's eyes snapped open. It was past noon. He looked down at Yuffie who smiled briefly before turning green and running off him to the side of the ship where she promptly threw up what small amount of food she ate. Vincent held back her hair and glared at anyone who chose to make joke of her misfortune. That shut them up before another syllable came from their mouth.

_Well, there is one plus to being so intimidating I guess._

"Thanks Vinnie," Yuffie said after she was done. "But um, how did I end up from walking to the port in town before sunrise, to well . . . your arms past noon." She was turning a new shade of red with every word.

"I gave you a dose of tranquilizer and carried you the rest of the way. With how sea sick I've seen you get, you would be lucky if you even survived getting on the boat without throwing up."

"Ah, well thanks."

They were silent for most of the boat ride (with the exception of Yuffie's vomiting). When night fell, Yuffie slipped off into sleep again, muttering something about materia once in a while.

Vincent watched her the whole night, tossing and turning on the crates until she found a position her body was willing to sleep in. A few minutes afterwards, three men strutted arrogantly on the ship and one of them eyed Yuffie. "Check this out guys. A seasick flower." He laughed haughtily. The other two looked at her then grinned. "You know, she is a pretty little thing. Why don't we 'take her in'?" The other two nodded. But just as one reached to pick her up, he felt the barrel of a gun on his neck.

"She is not yours for the taking sir. And if you dare try that again, I will not hesitate to fire." Vincent told him calmly. The man turned to find his friends had run away. He glanced back at Vincent with fear and ran for his life. Vincent reholstered his gun and sat on a crate next to Yuffie.

Oo00oO

The next few days went by pretty much the same, just without any guys trying to do anything to Yuffie. In fact whenever a guy so much as glanced at her, he would quickly run for fear of her 'guardian.' Finally the day arrived when they would get off the boat. Yuffie rushed onto land and then cursed the ship for making her sick for four days straight.

"Yes! We are no longer on that cursed boat!" Yuffie danced around, her seasickness gone.

". . ."

"So, only three more days, right?"

"Yes, Yuffie, only three more days. We will stay in town and leave at dawn." The two had gotten in just as night began to fall. When they got into the room they were staying in, Yuffie once again chose the one with window that showed the cascades of stars amongst a shining moon. "I'll get in contact with Tifa and let her know we got off the boat safe," She told him. Vincent nodded, removed his cloak and went into the bathroom. Yuffie was shocked when she saw his face. He was actually willing to show the other half of his face to her. She immediately got out her PHS and hit the switch on the back.

"Hi Yuffie," It was Cloud this time, a shirtless Cloud sitting on a bed.

"Oops," Yuffie said, blushing a little. "Sorry if I woke you two up. Tifa insisted I call her up every time we make it to town safely. Cloud smiled a bit, and then yawned. "How was the boat ride?" Yuffie sighed. "Do you even have to ask? It was a nightmare! I was throwing up every time I tried to put down even a little food, three guys tried to molest me, but thankfully Vinnie was there to save me, and finally we got off a little bit ago!"

"They tried to do WHAT?" came both Tifa and Cloud's voice.

"Hi Tifa!" Yuffie said when she saw her head come into view. "And don't worry, Vinnie took care of them!" Cloud and Tifa exchanged glances, and then laughed.

"What?" Yuffie asked indignantly. Tifa shook her head and smiled. "It's nothing Yuffie, don't worry."

"Well, we are heading to Cosmos Canyon next, so I'll call when we get in."

"Alright Yuffie, bye!"

Oo00oO

"I can't believe it!" Tifa exclaimed. "From what it sounds like, Vincent was jealous."

"Looks like my side of the bet is winning so far," Cloud said, leaning back on the bed.

"Not for long it won't be! Yuffie will definitely be the first to make a move; Vincent is too shy for that."

Cloud smiled. "We shall see, love, we shall see."

Oo00oO

Yuffie put the PHS away and fell into her dreams, both good and bad.

_Yuffie sat alone on an endless field of darkness, surrounded by countless monsters. How to get out of this, she did not know. As a monster came to attack, she ducked, bracing for the blow, when a gunshot was heard. The monsters yelped and ran away, tails between their legs. Yuffie looked up gratefully to her savior. A swirl of crimson enveloped both as blood red and storm pools clashed, gazing for a moment. Yuffie threw herself at her savior, but just before they made contact something flew out of her savior and lashed out at her, breaking numerous bones. As she cried out in pain Yuffie looked for her savior but he wasn't to be found. The beast stretched his front claw to strike and—_

Yuffie woke up with a scream. She easily recognized her savior; Vincent. But what was that beat that flew out of him? Was it Chaos? Yuffie shuddered. Suddenly, the bathroom door burst open and a shirtless Vincent came in the room. "I heard you scream. Is everything alright?" Yuffie turned away from him, her face turning as red as his cloak. "I'm fine, I just had a bad dream," She said, trying to keep her voice straight. Vincent relaxed his tensed shoulders when he heard. He slipped his shirt on, and then buckled on his cloak. When Yuffie dubbed it safe, she turned back around, going back to sleep before Vincent could question what her dream was about.

Sunrise had come. Vincent gently shook Yuffie, and she obediently opened her eyes, and woke up for the next day's journey. Just as they left, Yuffie's PHS rang. She turned it on and hit the switch on the back and it revealed Cloud. "Yuffie, just wanted to let you know, we just had a scan done and we found out that the baby is gonna be a boy." Yuffie smiled. "That's great Cloud! Man, it'll be hard to imagine you as a father!" Cloud sighed and shook his head. "Well, I have to go. Breakfast will burn if I leave too much longer."

"Alright then. Bye Cloud!" Yuffie turned off the PHS and put it in her bag again. "Did you hear that Vinnie? It's gonna be a boy!" Vincent smirked. Yuffie always seemed happy and excited whenever talk of that baby came up.

"Yuffie, what happened last night? I heard you scream, and I know for a fact that the dream you were having been a bit more than bad." Vincent took on the same look as before. Yuffie sighed. She was at a point with him whereas she was comfortable telling him of her dreams. So she explained everything that happened in her dream. Right down to the last swipe of the beast's claw.

"The beast you saw was indeed Chaos," Vincent told her after she was done explaining. "Why you were able to see him, I don't know. But we should keep moving. I will question Chaos on it."

**You mean to tell me my terror has even reached this little bitch? Wow, I guess I'm better known then I thought!**

_Shut up you bastard. Remind me to slit your throat as soon as you are out of my mind. _

**I doubt you could. By the way, I have no knowledge of how she could dream of me when she hasn't even seen me before. **

"Apparently, he knows nothing of how this happened" Vincent told her. Yuffie stayed silent, but nodded. "We might find more answers when we get this 'valor stone' the clue mentioned."

The next days flew by with numerous monster attacks, checking in calls from Cloud and Tifa. By the time they neared town, both were bruised and worn down to a point whereas even Yuffie didn't feel like talking. They checked in at the inn and dropped. Yuffie went in the bathroom immediately after dropping her gear by her bed. Yuffie got a warm shower running and stepped in as soon as dubbed warm enough. After an hour of thoroughly scrubbing all of her wounds and all other essentials, she walked out of the shower. Vincent sat by the window, looking over the cliff tops for where Red's father might be. "I'm done if you wanted a shower." Vincent nodded and went in the bathroom. "I'll be in town asking Nanaki's gramps where we can find his father," Yuffie called. After a quick hair brushing, Yuffie was out the door.

"Hey gramps, open up, I need to ask you something!" Yuffie banged on a door. An old man floating on an orb opened the door. "Yes child, what is it?" He asked calmly.

"I need to see Nanaki's father," She told him. The frail old man pointed a bony finger up a cliff. "Just up there. You could take the long route which would take a couple days, or scale up the rock face, which will get you there within a few hours." Yuffie smiled gratefully and nodded. "Thanks a bunch gramps!" And she ran off towards the inn.

"Vinnie, I know where we gotta go!" Yuffie exclaimed as soon as she walked into their room. His head snapped up to gaze at her. The young ninja went to the window and pointed at the tallest cliff. "We can either go the long way and be their tomorrow, or scale the face of the cliff and be there in a few hours." Vincent thought over his options and after a minute of consideration he told her, "We will scale up the cliff face tomorrow morning." Yuffie nodded and went to the door. "I'm gonna go eat, so if you need me I'll be downstairs." With that said she turned on her heel and sped downstairs.

Oo00oO

The sun was what woke up Yuffie the next day. The sun shined brightly in her face, causing her face to scowl. She reached for the pillow, but a strong hand pulled her up off the bed and on her feet. She squinted and opened her eyes to see Vincent. "Good morning," came her casual reply. He nodded to her and went to sit on his bed. "As soon as you're ready, we climb the rock face." Yuffie nodded and went into the bathroom to change and prepare. In a half hour, they were standing in front of the rock face. Vincent found a rope and tested it. It held strong. He offered it to Yuffie. "This way, if you fall, I can catch you." Yuffie nodded and took a big gulp.

"Mother, don't fail me now," she whispered. Yuffie grasped the rope and started climbing. Shortly after, Vincent got on the rope and started up. They climbed in silence until there was a ledge about halfway up they decided to rest on. After they had swung on to the ledge Yuffie asked, "How long have we been climbing anyways?" Vincent looked at the sun, squinting from its rays. "By the position of the sun, I'd say an hour."

Yuffie sighed. "Just don't look down, just don't look down," She kept telling herself over and over. After one minute, they swung back on to the rope and began climbing once again. They were just five feet from the top when the hold Yuffie's foot was on broke and she started to fall. "Vincent, help!" She shrieked. Sure enough, an arm caught her around the waist. Vincent's claw had sunken inches into the rock face; his arm maintained a strong grip around Yuffie.

"Yuffie, grab hold of the rope again!" Vincent told her, his voice and eyes had a sign of worry fringed around them. One little slip and Yuffie would plummet to her death! Yuffie carefully lifted her arm and grasped the rope, the other hand soon to follow. "Okay Vinnie, let go." He nodded and released his hold on her. Her body swung to the rope as she scurried up it as fast as possible, disappearing over the top of the rock face. "Okay Vinnie, head on up. I've got the rope steadied, so it won't break." Vincent grasped the rope with his human hand and carefully pried his claw from the rock face. After it was free he hurried up the rope and flew on to flat ground, heavily panting from the effort of getting up there.

Yuffie momentarily threw her arms around his neck. "Thanks Vinnie, you saved my life back there!" Vincent sighed. "You are welcome Yuffie," he told her. He looked up to see what looked like a statue of a beast, head bent to the sky, weapons lodged into his back. The closer Vincent stepped to it, its eyes glowed red intensifying as he drew near. When he finally reached out his hand to touch it, a great beam of red light shot through the air, as if the heavens were celebrating the completion of his climb. As the beam dulled down, a red stone could be seen, a mountain carved on the front of it. Vincent held out his hand and gently took the stone from its place. He felt more carving on the back. He turned it over and noticed writing was engraved. It read this:

_Your valor is great, whoever is reading this. _

_The demon within you is one step closer from being banished from your mind._

_You must next draw forth the stone of Compassion._

_It is hidden under a blanket of dark leaves. _

_They let none pass without music._

_Within water is where compassion hides. _

_Forever cascading down stone_

_Good luck, brave venturer_

Vincent smirked and put the stone in his safest pocket, and then turned to Yuffie. "We've found the Stone of Valor." Yuffie grinned and jumped up and down. "Yes! One down, three to go!" She glanced around. "Er, how do we get down?" She looked around and noticed a rope and something hanging down from it. She pointed at it. Vincent noticed it and nodded. "You will have to hold on to me, for it looks like there is only one and I don't see a second one." Yuffie blushed a little, but quickly hid it and nodded. Vincent firmly latched his claw on the hand hold as Yuffie grasped her arms around his neck as tight as she could, burying herself within his crimson cloak. Vincent's human arm held around her petite frame securely. And finally, he jumped off the cliff, the only thing keeping them alive was the cable above them. Yuffie had her face leaning against his chest, eyes shut. Vincent looked below as the townspeople stared up in amazement that someone had the mind to actually use that pulley. He reached a sign clearly labeled JUMP, and so he did. Vincent let go of the pulley and fell on large cushion. Yuffie opened her eyes and looked around. Noticing she was still on Vincent she blushed furiously and got off him, smiling up at him. "Well, we did it Vinnie!"

Vincent smirked. "Yes Yuffie, we did."

Yay! Second chappie is done! Wahoo! Alright, reviews are always welcome, you have all been so good to me so far and I really appreciate your support! Pointers or suggestions are always alright! if you wanna be mentioned in my next chappie, hit that pretty little review button. Luv you all!

Ichi


	3. Chapter 3

Hello my awesome readers! I must say, I am so happy with all of my reviewers! You have been nothing but positive, which makes me feel a whole lot better about my first fan fic, so here it is! A list of all my wonderful reviewers! (If I miss anyone, I will add you in the next chappie!) Ruler of Destiny, Yun-Ah, souldriven, SummonerXI, Muffin the Muffin, Katori Tsubasa, losttoxichope (I think that's how you spell it 0.0), Hafaku, Lord Makura, okatu dreamer, and The Red Hawk. Thanks again, enjoy the fic!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this plot. (Though I wish I owned Vincent. He is so hot!)

Yuffie scanned the horizon. The sun had just set and the stars began peeping out. She thought back to what her mom told her of them.

Flashback:

"Momma, why are their so many stars?" a six year old Yuffie asked her mother.

"Because," Her mother began. "When someone dies and they left behind someone special, they become a star so that even though they may not be alive, they will always be there for the ones they left behind."

"They're so shiny," Yuffie gaped. Her mother giggled. "The one that shines brightest to a person is the one they lost. If they wish upon that star, the one they lost will hear and try to help that wish come true."

"Okay momma. I promise that if I become a star, that I will watch over you and protect you no matter what!" Yuffie held out her tiny hand in a fist. "I just learned how to throw shuriken, so I can kick the butt of whoever hurts you!"

"Just remember child," Her mother said. "Although the one you love is gone, they will always watch over you from above."

End of Flashback

Yuffie went to the star nestled in the crook of the moon. She had believed this to be her mother ever since she died. "Hey mom," she whispered. "I'm traveling with Vinnie to get that demon out of his head. We have the first part done; now we just need to recover the other three. But I thought about what you told me and . . ." Yuffie faltered a bit, a tear sliding down her cheek.

"I need you to hear my wish. I wish for Vincent to be able to have emotions as well as any other human being before this is over. I wish that he would just for once feel what its like to live and love like a human. Please mom, please hear this and grant my wish." Yuffie smiled and turned to go to bed. But unbeknownst to her, Vincent had been just outside the door and had heard every word she said.

"Yuffie?" He quietly opened the door and stepped inside, noticing her eyes closed on the bed. One of her cheeks had a tear rolling off it. "Her mother must have been very special to her," he muttered.

**Indeed she was by the looks of it. **

_Why do you care? You just want to rape her!_

**A wise observation. But I also intend on getting out of here as soon as all of these stones are put together, which means I can nab her myself.**

_You better not, you bastard._

**Thank you, you're too kind. **

Vincent ignored him from there. His thoughts centered on Yuffie. He remembered her birthday was coming up and would be exactly three weeks from tonight. She would be 18 in three weeks. Vincent smirked. Maybe, just maybe, he might do something for her birthday.

_She has traveled with me for years and never once has she faltered in defending my back in a fight. She would always help others even at the cost of her life and is never afraid to say what's in her mind. She deserves something. (A/n: I know I'm being harsh on Yuffie, but for the fic, nobody has ever done anything for her birthday since her mom died.)_

Vincent thought things over the rest of the night, watching Yuffie sleep. When morning came, the two went about what they usually do.

"Where are we going to head next Vinnie?" Yuffie asked. "It hints us towards the Sleeping Forest. The clue said 'Hidden under a blanket of dark leaves that let none pass without music.' It will be a five days' walk from here. And then we have to find the Lunar Harp." Yuffie nodded, and packed the newly restocked supplies.

They were almost out of town when they passed a woman who was running from a pack of monsters, but she tripped and fell to the ground. Yuffie immediately grabbed Con former and struck the first monster. "Get back Miss! We can take these monsters!" A few minutes later, the battle was over with nothing but a few scratches here or there on Yuffie and nothing on Vincent.

The woman bowed to the two of them. "Thank you, thank you! I was coming back from my home near the Sleeping Forest - my husband is in trade with the miner's - when he went in the forest without the harp! You all seem strong enough, so if you are headed that way, could you maybe go in and find him for me?"

Yuffie's eyes were her answer. She would go in there to save that man in a heartbeat. But Vincent was still unsure. "Ma'am, we have business in the forest, but I refuse to go in there unless we have the harp," Vincent's reply came. The woman looked to her left and right, then handed them a bundle of cloth.

"I stole it from the miners," she told them. "They don't know who took it, so be cautious. My husband's name is Gallant. My name is Alicia. When you find him, tell him I'm at Cosmos Canyon. I will pray for your success." And with that said she bowed to them and ran off.

Both just stood there for a moment before Yuffie finally spoke up. "What are we doing just standing here? That man is in danger! Come on Vinnie, we can't waste time with another life at stake!" She started jogging in the direction of the Sleeping Forest. Vincent just held on to the bundle and kept up with Yuffie. It was several hours before they decided to rest a minute. Going at a quickened pace continually for hours was starting to wear down Yuffie.

Just then, Yuffie's PHS rang. Yuffie remembered the baby was due a few days ago. She quickly pulled out the PHS and turned on the visuals before looking straight into the face of Cloud, his mako blue eyes gleaming with pride. "Meet the newest member of AVALANCHE: Kai Strife." He pointed his PHS at the newborn baby in his arms, watching it rest softly. "AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW, he's so cute," Yuffie said softly, careful not to wake the child.

"Tifa is resting right now," Cloud told her, pointing it off Kai. "How's the 'Get Rid of Vincent's Demon' thing going?" Yuffie grinned. "Great! We found one of the stones, now we only need three more!"

"Well, that's good to hear," He responded. "Hold on just a sec. I have to be able to adjust the PHS." There was some rustling heard and Yuffie saw both Cloud and Kai looking up at her. "I can't wait to see the kid in person! Oh crap, I'm an Aunt now. I feel so old!" Yuffie sweat dropped.

The baby let out a small moan snuggled closer to his father. Yuffie 'awww'ed and Vincent smirked. "Cute kid Strife," He said into the PHS. "Well, I think Tifa wants to see her son," Cloud said. He went out of view for a second before pointing the PHS to Tifa who was holding the baby gently, her maternal instincts kicking into gear. "We'll let you know how things go with Kai," Tifa told them. "But right now this little guy is hungry, so I'll talk to you two later!"

"Bye Tifa! Bye Kai!" and afterwards Yuffie flicked the switch on the back and stuffed her PHS in her pocket. "Did you see how tiny he was? He's so cute though!" Yuffie kept on talking about Kai for almost an hour until she subsided and kept her pace. They had walked on to almost double what was planned for one day and Yuffie was wiped.

"Vinnie lets make camp or something! If I go too much further, I'll fall over!" Yuffie told him. Vincent looked around. "This will pass as a place to set up camp." Yuffie let herself fall to her knees as soon as her bed roll was out and before Vincent could even lay his out, she was fast asleep.

Vincent inwardly beat himself up for pushing her so hard for one day. A cold wind began rising, and they were no where near anything that could serve well for making a fire. But Vincent was not worried about himself. Thanks to his 'modifications' he did not feel the cold. But Yuffie was not holding up well.

Her skin was covered in bumps and the only thing he could here was her teeth chattering. Vincent unbuckled his cloak and draped it over the girl. One of her hands absentmindedly clutched it and brought it closer around her. Vincent smirked.

_Giving her an extra hour of rest would be wise. Either way, we walked on for almost twice what I had planned. We will be at the forest in three days if we keep a normal pace from here on._

Oo00oO

Yuffie woke up later than usual that morning. Something that smelled of roses was draped on her. She sat up and realized it was Vincent's cloak. "Good morning," She heard him mutter. "Good morning, and thanks for lending me your cloak last night." As she handed it back to him she looked over what the cloak hid. Vincent had a strong face that showed no fear. Of course it was always like this, but now it really shows without the cloak there. His upper body was long, muscled, with broad shoulders.

_Oh my god . . . Vincent's cloak hides a lot! _Yuffie thought to herself over and over again.

"You are welcome Yuffie," Vincent said, buckling the cloak on him once more. They set out as usual that day, though they stopped much earlier than yesterday. Finally, Yuffie and Vincent saw the edge of the forest on the horizon, just as the second day was ending. "Where do you suppose we should start looking in that forest Vinnie?" Yuffie asked, trying to escape the evil clutches of boredom.

"The stone mentioned 'within water compassion hides, forever cascading down stone'. It probably signifies that its going to be at a waterfall or a stream of some sort.

"Splitting up does not look like a good idea in that forest," Yuffie commented. Vincent nodded. "That would leave one of us without the harp, so that does not help us any."

"Didn't we pass a waterfall or a stream in there when we were traveling?" Yuffie scrunched her face as she tried to remember. "If we can remember where we entered the forest and in what direction we went, we might run straight into it!" Vincent's eyes widened momentarily. Yuffie had a point.

"I think we shall do that Yuffie," He told her. "Do you remember anything along that that could possibly give us a direction?" Yuffie bit her lower lip and looked at the sky. "I remember that the sun was setting and it was directly behind us. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, so I think that means we should enter at the western side and head east."

"Thank you Yuffie," Vincent told her. Yuffie's head snapped up in surprise. She wasn't used to hearing him thank her. Usually it was the other way around! "Oh, no problem!" Yuffie stammered.

They walked on and made it to the western side by three pm. Vincent unfolded the bundle and looked at it funny. "How do you play this thing?" He asked, his voice just touching the edges of confusion and frustration. Yuffie giggled. Ever since they recovered the Valor Stone, he had been showing a little bit more emotion.

_Thank you mother!_

"Here, let me see it," Yuffie gently took it and gently strummed a few of the wires that hung down. The leaves and trees almost seemed to groan as they pulled up, the delicate melody awakening them. As Yuffie finished, Vincent seemed slightly puzzled. "You know how to play the harp?"

Yuffie smiled up to him and nodded. "The harp is one of Wutai's most popular instruments! I was taught that little melody a while back, just before war broke out." Yuffie put the harp back in its bundle and in her pack. "Well, let's get moving if we want to find the Compassion Stone any time soon!" Vincent nodded and headed into the forest, Yuffie close behind him.

They walked on in that direction for some time until they were attacked. A huge pack of monsters surrounded them, most of them twice Vincent's height. "There is no way we can defeat all of these!" Yuffie yelled.

"We must escape Vinnie!" Vincent shot one of the monsters, holding off as best he could. "We can't, we're surrounded! If we escaped, we would have to go off in different directions."

Yuffie threw Conformer at an enemy and hit its leg joint so it couldn't move then threw it again to kill it. "Better than dying! You have your PHS, right?" Vincent nodded. "Than let's separate and then we can regroup when we've gotten out of here!"

"We need a hole in the circle first," Vincent told her. He fired at an enemy, killing it, just as Yuffie killed another. "Now!" He yelled. They bolted in different directions, Yuffie waving to Vincent as he went out of sight.

Yuffie never turned around. She just ran to no end, too afraid to look back. What if the monsters were on her tail? She tripped on a tree root and fell to the ground. She fought back tears as she got up.

The one thing Yuffie wished at that moment was that Vincent was with her. Around him she always felt safe; like she would always turn out okay no matter what the circumstances.

Suddenly, something hit Yuffie cold and hard on the back of her head. Her knees buckled, and everything went black.

Oo00oO

"Yuffie, do you read me?" Vincent said into his PHS. He had finally escaped from the monsters after an hour of shaking them off. "Yuffie, are you there?" still no reply. "YUFFIE!" He screamed into it.

"Is that what this girl's name is?" said a male voice through the PHS. "Who are you and what have you done with Yuffie?" Vincent demanded.

"Relax. It was an accident. I thought she was someone my wife sent to find me, so I knocked her out. I might have been right." Vincent smirked. "Why are you running away from your wife?"

"Is that really any of your business?" the man asked suspiciously. Vincent couldn't help but give out a chuckle. "Yes actually, judging me and that girl were in here for two reasons, one of which is to find you." Vincent heard him curse in the back ground.

"I still have to find the stone though . . ." Gallant said into the PHS. Vincent froze. Did this man have a demon inside him as well? "Do you mean the stone of Compassion that is used for removing a demon from the mind of a human?"

"Hell, no!" Gallant shot at him. "I meant my father's grave stone. It was supposed to be by a waterfall in here. Where did you get the idea that there were stones that let a cursed human be free?"

Vincent sighed. "Since I myself have the demon Chaos sealed within me and I already recovered one of the stones necessary to rid him from me." Gallant turned pale on the other end. "M-m-my apologies for hurting the girl sire," he stuttered.

"Hey! I don't know who the hell you are but give me back my PHS now! And if Vinnie is the reason your stuttering like that than your lucky I'm letting you live right now, because he isn't a monster like others have called him! Hojo is for putting him through all of that!" Yuffie's voice came in the background. Gallant was slugged in the face, and Yuffie came into view on the PHS, rubbing her head gently.

"Hi Vinnie! I escaped from the monsters alright until this ass hole knocked me out!" She glared down at Gallant. "How about you? You hold up okay?"

"Yes Yuffie, I got away unscathed. Where are you?" Vincent asked. "I don't know, but I think I hear running water near by!" Yuffie exclaimed happily. "That's good to know. Now I just need to find how I can get back to where you are," came his reply. Yuffie thought for a while before springing up in the air.

"I got it! I'll use a thunder materia and then you go in the direction the lightning will come!" Yuffie said excitedly. "Yuffie, if you do that, you could start a fire, what with all of the trees around. Yuffie's triumphant look faded. "Then ill scream at the top of my lungs and you can go in the direction the scream comes in."

Vincent nodded. Yuffie turned off her PHS and turned to Gallant "Unless you want to go deaf, cover your ears." Yuffie drew in a breath of air and then screamed bloody murder. It was high pitched and ear deafening loud. Vincent easily heard it and sprinted in that direction.

"Yuffie coughed a few times and then went to her pack for some water. Once that was done she turned to find Gallant huddled in a corner, scanning for any movement. "Oh come on!" Yuffie protested angrily.

"Vinnie isn't evil! If it weren't for him, you wouldn't even be alive so enough! Although he has a demon sealed within him, he is still a good person. So if you don't be good to him when you get here, I will not hesitate to whack you a good few times with Conformer!" she gestured to her giant shuriken. "Got it you spineless jerk?" the said 'spineless jerk' nodded.

Just then Vincent burst through the trees. Yuffie, still holding one side of her head, waved at him, smiling weakly. Vincent immediately rushed to her side as she started to fall, and he caught her. "Hold on a second Yuffie," He lowered her to the ground and dug through his pack to get a cure materia.

"Cure 3," He whispered, holding the materia over her head. A soft green glow enveloped the wound as it healed. Yuffie felt it. It was still a bit sore, but she would at least be able to stand. "You need to stop hiding your pains when you talk to others Yuffie," Vincent told her before turning his attention to Gallant, a stern look on his face. "I believe Yuffie already did the honors of punching you."

Gallant glanced down to the claw that held Yuffie (he never moved it when he caught her.) and nodded. Vincent let go of Yuffie as she tried to stand. She stood okay, but wobbled a little when she went forward. "What did you hit her with?" Vincent demanded as he helped Yuffie. Gallant pulled a hammer from behind his back. Vincent stared down at him in rage.

"If you hit her too much harder with that, she could have died!" Vincent yelled at him, his usually calm composure gone. "Vincent, don't," Yuffie whispered. "He's caused enough trouble already. And what would we tell his wife?"

Vincent gazed at her when he heard his real name. She smiled meekly and nodded to him. Vincent looked at the man. "Although you injured my companion, we were told to send you back to Cosmos Canyon. After you have found your father's grave, you will go home. Understood?" Gallant nodded.

"Let's move, Yuffie said, picking up a branch and using it to help her move. Gallant guiltily followed ahead of her, while Vincent stayed by Yuffie in case she would fall again.

**My, my, my, isn't she feisty?**

_Bastard, she is only pushing herself so because of me!_

**Then why not return the favor? **

_Because unlike you Chaos, I am not a pervert._

**Psh! Do you still not see it? You love the girl!**

_No, I don't, and I don't see why you care if all you want to give me is misery._

**That will just make taking her for my own all the more painful on you!**

_Bastard._

The group went towards the sound of running water and within minutes, they appeared at a waterfall. Just in front of it, a grave stone was placed. Gallant immediately ran up to it and got on his knees. Yuffie squinted. "It reads:

_Here lies Gallant Elson the IX_

_May he rest forever where he was given peace!_

"Wow, who knew that there were ten generations of Gallant!" Yuffie exclaimed. A small green glow erupted from the top of the grave. Gallant backed away, awed. Vincent stepped closer to it, the green intensifying as he went. He reached out and touched the grave and a great emerald beam shot through the sky. As it dulled, a green stone with a leaf carved on it floated in front of Vincent. He took it from the air and looked at the other side of it. It read:

_Compassion lies within ye, demon cursed one._

_Thy next task must prove thy's friendship._

_Hidden in rubble, wounded were healed. _

_Two warriors trapped in life_

_One girl's care gave her friend a shield_

_As he fought for his mind_

_Like killing an entire army with but a knife_

_Your clue is given, valorous compassionate one_

_May your journey be safe and under the sun._

Vincent put the stone in his pocket with the Valor Stone and looked at Yuffie. She shifted her weight to the stick and smiled genuinely. "Two down, two to go," she whispered. For the first time in her life, Yuffie saw Vincent smile back. Smaller than hers, but it existed. Yuffie hobbled over to him when the stick broke over her weight, and she once again fell to his arms.

"I guess I'm still a bit shaky around the legs," She smiled apologetically. Vincent shot daggers from his blood red pools to Gallant. "You have done what you came for, so get out of my sight before I kill you." Gallant wasted no time in bolting. Vincent checked the side of her head. It was looking purple with a huge bruise.

"I shall try using materia again," He told her. He reached into his pack and used cure 3 once again. Yuffie was a little bit wobbly still, but the bruise had disappeared.

"Let's head to the town by the miner's. A night in an inn sounds pretty nice right now." Yuffie smiled. And as they went back to town, Yuffie's mind was filled with that one smile he gave her in that one moment. For some reason, every time she thought of it, her heart sped like lightning.

Chapter three complete! Yay! Okay, sorry if the emotion thing on Vincent is making him out of Character, but this is how it works ; the more stones he retrieves, the more of his human emotions come back. Thank you all for reviewing and please keep on reviewing! They make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Well, I'm off!

ichi


	4. Chapter 4

A/n hello again my loyal reviewers! Okee, okee, okee. I noticed I made an error in last chapter. I said the next stone would be 'Friendship'. It was supposed to be 'Selflessness', but I messed up and put friendship. So, I sincerely apologize to any who noticed my mistake. It was late and I told myself I was almost done and I should update before going to bed. But don't get used to these 'update a day' things. For I am going back to school on Mondaydramatic music in background, so I will update when I can, but no promises how quick they can be. Well, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a copy of the game. (So technically I do own FF 7, but yet I don't)

Yuffie went to the bed at the window and gratefully flopped onto it. No sooner than she hit the pillow was she asleep. It took her and Vincent two days to find a way out of the forest. After they were out, they went to the nearest inn and decided that one night to figure out this next riddle would be for the best.

Vincent took the stone from his pocket and read it over. It had puzzled him for some time. After hours of thinking, it finally came to him. "Mideel!" He burst out, waking the sleeping Yuffie. She yawned and stretched a bit. "What about Mideel Vinnie?"

"That is where the stone of Selflessness is: Mideel," Vincent told her. Yuffie looked confused. "But Mideel was destroyed by the life stream. It's just a pile of rubble now." Vincent thought on this. "I know that. But this looks like it is pointing us to the ruins at least." Yuffie nodded, then rolled back to sleep.

Yuffie had remembered what happened in Mideel as if it happened that exact day.

FLASHBACK:

_"Cloud, Tifa!" Yuffie screamed in horror. The two had been caught in the Lifestream. Yuffie rushed forward, almost about to enter the green goo when a strong arm got around her waist and pulled her back._

_"Let go of me Vinnie! Let go now!" She yelled at him. "We have to save Cloud and Tifa!" Vincent still wouldn't let go. "Yuffie, if you go in there, you will die with them. That will not help us at all if we lose all three of you." _

_Vincent had a point. Yuffie crumbled to her knees. "No . . .," She whispered. "First Aerith and now this!" Yuffie softly let tears fall. She felt Vincent hand on her shoulder and she flung her arms around his shoulder, beating on his chest once or twice with one of her small fists. Vincent flinched, but for some reason, he couldn't pull away. He couldn't just leave this girl in her misery._

_Cid came up to the two and gently patted Yuffie's shoulder. "It's alright brat. We'll find those $ idiots!" But Yuffie didn't stop. She instead pulled away from Vincent and socked Cid in the ace. "Don't you get it you idiot geezer? Nobody has survived the Lifestream! They are gone! As much as we can try, they are gone!"_

_She fell to the dirt and beat on the ground instead of Vincent. "I couldn't save them! Just like mother and Aerith, I couldn't save them!" She looked to the sky pleadingly. "Leviathan, how many more loved ones must I lose before I myself die?" _

_Everyone was silent then. None of them wanted to admit that she was right. Nanaki rubbed against her affectionately, and then went near the Lifestream and let out a mournful howl._

_Vincent did what nobody expected him to do. He actually held Yuffie until she had cried herself to sleep. "It is unfair for this one small child to suffer so much," He said in explanation when Yuffie had come to sleep. Barrett broke the following silence. "What do we do now?" Vincent sighed. "We do what Cloud and Tifa would have wanted us to do. Continue on to defeat Sephiroth."_

_Vincent lagged behind the others in their solemn walk to their next destination. He was still carrying Yuffie. He felt her go rigid in her nightmares. For reasons he didn't know, he actually sang a quiet song he hadn't even so much as heard in years._

_(By the way, I do not own this song. It was written and sung by Hyde-sama)_

_I just saw you._

_Beyond the course of time_

_A room that we once shared_

_But my memory's a haze_

_Forgetting what I said_

_I gently held out my hand_

_And in that perfect moment_

_You disappeared,_

_I lost you all over again_

_In a shallow sleep I dreamt_

_I was seeing you _

_Just how I remembered_

_Brimming with tenderness_

_And somewhere in the calm_

_A feeling that nothing had ever changed_

_Your presence close beside me till I wake_

_I just saw you _

_A moment far too brief_

_Before daylight came_

_But my heart was beating fast_

_Perhaps we'll meet again_

_In a shallow sleep I dreamt_

_I was seeing you_

_Just how I remembered_

_Brimming with tenderness_

_And somewhere in the calm _

_A feeling that nothing had ever changed_

_Your presence close beside me till I wake_

_I see you until I wake from shallow sleep_

_An artist without a paintbrush_

_Can't paint upon the canvas_

_Without you there, there is no color_

_A colorless landscape_

_In a shallow sleep I dreamt_

_I was seeing you_

_Just how I remembered_

_Brimming with tenderness_

_And somewhere in the calm _

_A feeling that nothing had ever changed_

_Your presence close beside me till I wake_

_I see you shallow sleep_

_On that last note, Vincent looked down at Yuffie to notice that she had stopped shaking. Vincent did have a voice in singing, he just never really used it. He caught up with the others, carrying Yuffie along with him._

END OF FLASHBACK

"Vinnie . . . I never thanked you for what you did for me that day. So I know it's late but, thanks." Yuffie said. Vincent nodded. "You are welcome Yuffie." Yuffie closed her eyes and drifted into sleep.

**I can't believe how thick headed you are to still not see it.**

_Not see what?_

**She loves you, you idiot. And it's pretty obvious that you love her. **

_She does not love me, bastard. I do not love her. And in plus even if I did, she's too innocent, too pure . . ._

**And that explains why you sang her to sleep that day?**

_She watched two loved ones die right in front of her, and then at the time, we all thought we lost another two, and right in front of Yuffie. She can't take much more suffering! That's why I sang to her that day! _

**Right, I'll let you believe that for now. **

_You damned bastard! All you are doing is trying to talk your way into raping her! I will never allow that as long as I live! So get those sick, twisted thoughts out from your mind!_

**I'm a demon, host, I'm supposed to be sick and twisted. **

_Shut up then._

Vincent thought things over. Thanks to the stones, his old emotions were returning. But did he really love Yuffie? And if he did, would she actually love him? These questions constantly ran through his head.

He glanced over to the sleeping girl. She slept soundly on her side, a serene smile on her face as she dreamt. Her chocolate brown locks framed her smooth face, her hands up by her left cheek. The moonlight from the window bathed her in a luminous glow. At the time, the only adjective that could describe that moment was either 'radiant' or 'beautiful'.

Since his emotions began returning, he remembered one thing more and more often; Yuffie's 18th birthday. Vincent smirked. He would have to at least get her a birthday present. Hours ticked by as he tried to sort out his feelings towards Yuffie when he heard rustling, a soft yawn, and stretching.

He glanced over to Yuffie. She had woken up on her own, now used to the schedule. "Good morning," He said. Yuffie smiled at him. "Morning!"

_I know I'm forgetting something important! Hmmm . . . _Yuffie thought to herself. Then it hit her. "Crap, I forgot to restock our supplies!" She suddenly burst from her bedside and sped around the room, checking their stocks. She took some Gil and went down to the item shop. But unbeknownst to her, Vincent was following behind.

Oo00oO

"Good morning ma'am, how may I help you?" The store clerk said. Yuffie smiled. "I need about a week's worth of provisions and a few potions!" The store clerk tallied her total cost. "200 Gil, please," was his final reply. Yuffie gave him the money and he went about his work. "Feel free to browse the shop."

Yuffie scanned the contents of the shop until her eyes fell on a silver choker. It was done in an Ivy leaf design with a small emerald flower in the center. Vincent entered the shop and spotted Yuffie. Curious, he followed her gaze to the choker.

"Here you go ma'am," the clerk placed a bag of provisions and potions on the counter. "Ma'am?" He glanced at Vincent for a second before waving a hand in front of her face. Vincent sighed. "Yuffie, we need to leave," He told her. Yuffie jumped and wheeled around to see Vincent.

"Gah! Vinnie, don't scare me like that!" She went to the desk and picked up the bag, muttering her thanks to the clerk. Vincent glanced at the choker. "Sir, could I get that choker please?" The clerk nodded and went to put it in its proper box.

One minute later, Vincent left the store with the choker in a black box with a small white ribbon around it. He went in the room he and Yuffie were staying at to find everything packed and ready. "You ready Vinnie?" Yuffie asked sweetly, a smile playing across her face.

Vincent nodded, slipping the choker into his bag when she wasn't looking. "Let's get moving," He stated, slinging his pack on his shoulder. They went on in silence for the morning.

Yuffie asked in the afternoon at one point, "Hey Vinnie, why did you blow up at that Gallant the 10th guy when you found me? Thanks to him knocking me unconscious my memory is a bit fuzzy."

"I was angry at him because if he hit you too much harder with that hammer, you could have died. I'm quite surprised that you woke up as fast as you did." Yuffie looked at him funny for a minute before giggling and giving him a big smile.

"Thank you," She told him. The next few days went on until they saw the fringes of rubble over the horizon. Thankfully, (at least to Yuffie) it was night, so they would camp and reach Mideel in the morning.

Yuffie hummed as she unpacked the provisions for dinner, while Vincent brought back wood for a fire. He stopped at one point and listened to the tune that Yuffie was humming. _Is that . . . the song I sang last time we were here? _

Sure enough, Yuffie at one point stopped humming to sing two words of the melody.

_Shallow Sleep_

And then she continued humming to the rest. Vincent watched her as she worked. Yuffie felt his gaze on her and fixed her own on him. "Is something up?" She asked sweetly. Vincent shook his head as an answer.

Yuffie sighed and continued humming. After she and Vincent ate, Yuffie turned so she was facing the ruins of Mideel, got on her knees, and bowed her head and hands until they touched the ground.

"What are you doing?" Vincent asked curiously.

"It's a Wutai tradition," She told him, eyes closed, still not moving from her position. "We consider the Lifestream and where it has been sacred. It is proper to pay respects before treading on the ground in which the Lifestream passed. Even if it almost took Cloud and Tifa's life, I will follow every tradition with the pride of Wutai."

Vincent nodded. He turned to face the rubble and gave a slight bow.

When Yuffie rose, she turned to Vincent. "Thank you," She told him gratefully. "You didn't have to do anything you know. Yet you still bowed in respect. I never saw anyone from outside Wutai pay respect to the Lifestream."

Vincent looked away from her. "Actually Yuffie, My mother was from Wutai. That is all I know of her. It would be a dishonor to her if I did not at least pay respect."

Yuffie looked at him, wide-eyed for a second, before realizing her never even knew his mother. "I'm sorry," Yuffie told him sympathetically, placing one of her hands on his shoulders.

"I don't need your pity," He told her, shaking off her hand. Yuffie locked eyes with him. "I was not offering pity," Yuffie responded calmly. "When you say 'sorry' after finding out the death of a relative to a friend, they say 'sorry' because they want to help their friend, knowing that they have gone through hardships and letting their friend know that they are there for their friend, no matter what."

Vincent gazed into her eyes. Her stormy eyes were soft, caring, concerned. Her lips were in a meek smile, her hands wringing her wrists gently. "Just like what you did for me," Yuffie finished. Neither noticed their close proximity until now. Yuffie stepped away slightly.

"I guess I should get to sleep," She stated, then curled up on her bed roll, drifting off into slumber. But what Vincent did not see was the insane blush that had creeped onto Yuffie's face when she went to curl up.

**Man, if you two got to much closer, you might have kissed!**

_Yes, well, we didn't. _

**Come on now host! I live in this mind of yours, and I could sense something between you.**

Vincent wanted to retaliate, wanted to deny it, but he couldn't. There was this emotion that had risen within him that moment, when Yuffie told him what she meant by 'sorry'. He laid down on his bedroll and looked at the stars. One of them shined even more brightly then the others for a brief moment. And image of a brown haired, green eyed girl flashed in his head at that exact same time.

_Aerith? _

Yes, it's me. I have been watching you two for sometime now.

_Then why are you communing with me? Why not Yuffie? She took your death almost as bad as Cloud did._

Because this is a one time thing. If I let her commune with me just once, it will only make her sad that I can no longer talk to her.

_Than tell me what you wish to, if it was this important._

What I'm about to say is important that you know, because Yuffie herself does not want to admit it. I could say the same about you!

_And what is it that is so important?_

She loves you Vincent. She won't admit it just yet. But you have yet to see what she has done to defend you. While you traveled, she silenced those who thought of you as a monster. She took blows for you in battle that could have cost her life. And she would not leave your side when you faced down Sephiroth. And I think that you might just love her back. 

_But why are you telling me this now? She needs to hear this most of all if she really does love me!_

That is why I contacted you instead of her. I know for a fact that you love her back. You must show her that for her to finally do something about her feelings. 

_I see._

Please Vincent, do not let her down. Although you may say that you are undeserving, she does not care. I think that she will love you no matter what and that is her real reason for traveling with you. But my time is up. Please tell the others I say hi! 

With that said, that star twinkled once more before fading.

"I will Aerith, I will," Vincent whispered.

Oo00oO

Yuffie woke earlier than usual that morning. She looked up at the fading stars as sunlight burst over the horizon, bathing the plains in a warm glow. Vincent nodded his head to her. She smiled at him wearily, and then went about her daily business. They walked in silence, though Yuffie kept a little closer to Vincent than normal.

Within an hour they arrived at Mideel. It was nothing but rubble everywhere, some small skeletons or severed parts every here or there, a blood stain or two on a crumbled wall. Yuffie gulped and went forward by Vincent, trying her best to hold strong.

They saw the crumbled hospital sign with a faded red cross still a little audible. Yuffie went a bit further when she heard voices coming from her left.

"Hey, I think I found something!" A male voice called. "Let me see!" Another one was heard. Suddenly, a man appeared from behind a piece of rubble to another one. Yuffie didn't take long to put two and two together.

Yuffie sprinted to where the man went and found two men sitting by a box holding some tools. Yuffie was enraged. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" She screamed at the two.

The first voice answered arrogantly. "We are collecting artifacts like our job tells us to. Now run along little girl, we professionals have work to do." Those two sentences were like he just signed his death wish.

"YOU ARROGANT BASTARDS! YOU'RE GRAVE DIGGING ON SACRED GROUND! HOW DARE YOU TAKE OBJECTS THAT HOLD IMPORTANCE TO THE SPIRITS THAT LIVE HERE?" Yuffie immediately threw Conformer at the man, grazing his leg joint.

Vincent stood beside her, Death Penalty out, eyes flaring. "Drop. The. Tools." Vincent told the two men. They obeyed fearfully. "Now get out," He commanded harshly. The two bolted for their lives. Yuffie went to the tools and examined them.

"None of them broke," Yuffie sighed in relief. She carefully placed them back in their appropriate slots and bowed her head to the ground like before. "Spirits of Mideel, I beg thee forgiveness for the grave diggers." She whispered something incoherent to Vincent then got back up.

A small, blue glow came from the hospital sign. Vincent strode to it, letting the soft blue intensify with every stride. He finally touched it and a Sapphire beam shot to the sky. As it dulled, a blue stone with a water drop carved on the front. Vincent gratefully took it and examined the back.

_Ye of compassionate valor,_

_Ye also hold companionship at your side_

_One more stone before ye shall be free of the chaos that curses ye._

_Your clue is this:_

_a building of stone that bleeds out light._

_Guarded and angel from the night._

_Flowers blossomed at her feet_

_And it is where the Boy of Destiny and her came to meet._

Vincent smiled. He tucked the stone with the other two. He turned to Yuffie with the smile still on his face. "We only have one more stone to go," He told her, happiness in his voice.

Yuffie smiled genuinely, and jumped around a bit, before she hugged him. That's right, she hugged him. Just as she was about to pull away and apologize, she felt Vincent return the embrace for a few seconds. When they backed away, Yuffie was blushing furiously. Vincent showed nothing of the sort though he if he looked the way he felt, he would be plum colored.

"Let's get moving to the nearest town," Vincent finally said. Yuffie kept her smile and ran off in the direction of the next town. "Come on Vinnie! Only one more stone to go!" he smirked. She never ran out of energy, did she?

Woot! Chapter 4 is done! Okay, I will probably get in one or two more updates in before school starts but after that, they won't be so quick! sniff well, please review! They make me want to continue very badly! Oh, and I'm sorry if the singing was OOC. One of my friends popped the idea in my head and the song Shallow Sleep fits Vincent really well if you really look at it. Well, I'm off to see the Wizard, the Wonderful Wizard of reviews!

Ichi


	5. Chapter 5

'Ello me good reviewers! It's been great having such awesome reviews all the time! I am much honored to have no flames yet! Well, this chapter is taking a break from the Stones. It is centered on Yuffie's birthday and reminiscing on past events between her and Vincent. As usual, enjoy the Fic!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but this pathetic plot (but I can dream, right? )

Yuffie stepped into the warm shower gratefully, thinking of what to do tomorrow. She was turning 18 tomorrow at exactly 9 pm. _Maybe I can talk Vinnie into staying for one more night. What fun is an 18th birthday if it's out in the middle of the nowhere?_

Vincent and Yuffie had found a small town a few days out from Mideel. After the selflessness stone was recovered, both were completely drained from their nonstop traveling.

Yuffie stepped out of the steamy shower and put on clean garments. She found Vincent sitting in a chair examining the stone. "Hey Vinnie, can I see the clue?" He nodded and handed her the stone. Yuffie scanned it over and handed it back to him.

"I think I heard Cloud mention something like this," Yuffie told him. "But before we call him up and get moving tomorrow morning, do you think we could stay here one more day? Tomorrow is something special . . ." Her voice trailed off as she downcast her eyes, a small smile on her face.

"Your 18th birthday, is it not?" Vincent asked her, but he already knew the answer. Yuffie nodded, surprised he remembered. "I think we could both use one day for a break. I don't see why not." Yuffie squealed and thanked Vincent before going off into town.

Vincent smirked. _She has done so much to help me so far. It's only fair to give the girl at least one day of rest and on her birthday no less!_

**Now do you see it since that wench popped into your head? **

_I guess I do. _

**Wait, why will you listen to this random bitch that pops into your head and not to me? **

_Because she isn't a pervert, and she was an Ancient, so pay respect!_

**I'm a demon, since when am I supposed to respect others? Anyways, you do plan to give the girl that choker tomorrow, right? **

_Yeah . . ._

**Good, it's been sitting in your pack for a week now and if you didn't give it to her, what is the point in buying it?**

_Stay out of my business you damn demon!_

**I would give anything not to be in your business, but seeing how I am trapped in this mind of yours, that does prove as an issue, no? **

Vincent gave up. There was no use in arguing with a demon because they aren't afraid to say anything about anyone.

Oo00oO

Yuffie strolled around the quiet town, humming to herself as she thought back to the day before they faced down Sephiroth (in game, not AC).

FLASHBACK:

_Yuffie sat huddled in a corner of the Highwind, her face was pale and hands shaking. She was hidden from everyone else and that was the way she wanted it. She refused to let the others see her in this condition. Though there was one person that was still able to find her. His name is Vincent Valentine. _

_"Yuffie? Are you alright?" A voice came behind her. Yuffie turned around to see Vincent, worry and concern fringing his eyes and voice. Yuffie shook her head. _

"_We are only one day away from engaging in a battle that will decide the fate of the world and we have only a small chance, and you are asking me if I'm alright? I'm gonna die out there Vinnie, I just know it!" Yuffie's voice cracked and she let a few tears slide down her cheek. Vincent was at her side soon after he heard that, trying to give her hope. _

"_Do not abandon faith so easily," He told her soothingly, rubbing his human finger in a small circle on her upper back. "We will all make it out of this alive. Sephiroth will be defeated and the world will have peace." _

_Yuffie stared up at him, her eyes big, innocent with the look of uncertainty and gratefulness mixed in her storm eyes. She put her hands on each of his shoulders and looked at him through his eyes and every other inch of his face._

_Vincent was thoroughly confused. "Yuffie, what are you doing?" he asked uneasily. _

_Yuffie smiled at him with such purity and genuinely, anybody could have mistaken her for a fallen angel at that moment. "You call yourself a monster, yet inside you I see a true genuine compassionate person." _

_Vincent was in utter shock. Someone regarded him as something other than an emotionless monster. Someone thought of him as a human. The only other person who did that was Lucrecia. When he felt Yuffie's arms slide around his neck, he returned the embrace._

_When they backed away, Yuffie's face held its normal color and her hands were no longer shaking. "Thank you Vincent," She told him, her pure smile still lingering on her face. Vincent nodded and looked away, war raging between him and his demon._

"_Vinnie, its time to depart," Yuffie said, hearing the Highwind come to a stop. Her body tensed for a small bit, but when a reassuring glance came from Vincent, she relaxed. "Lets go make Sephiroth pay!" Yuffie screamed, her enthusiasm returning._

END OF FLASHBACK

Yuffie loved that moment. She had seen human in Vincent when others couldn't. And because of that, she would never stop fighting at his side. Yuffie was skipping merrily on the street when she came across a sign that read:

Do not miss the lunar eclipse tomorrow at 9 pm.

They only happen once every lifetime!

Yuffie giggled in delight and went racing back to the inn. She had to tell Vincent! Just as she burst through the door, her PHS rang. Yuffie sighed, flipped the switch on the back, and was looking at Tifa. "Hi Tifa!" Yuffie said happily. "How's the little guy doing?"

"Great! You wanna see him? I left him with Cloud." Tifa had a proud grin on her face that reminded Yuffie very much of Cloud's when she first saw Kai. The PHS showed a small bit of the house until it came into the living room where Kai was curiously pulling at Cloud's spiky hair.

"That is not okay Kai, you don't pull at papa's hair," He told the infant playfully, detaching his tiny hands from his spiky blonde locks. Kai looked at the PHS with newfound curiosity, mako blue eyes looking up at the device, a small amount of blonde fuzz on his head (I know its really weird for a three week old infant to already have hair, but work with me here, I haven't had a baby yet, I'm not even in high school! . )

Yuffie 'awww'ed as the little infant sat down on Cloud's lap once more, his tiny arms trying to go around his neck. Cloud put his arms gently around the baby and kissed the top of his head, letting the small child begin to sleep. Tifa giggled silently. "He sure is being a good father. My bet is that Kai is gonna be a spitting image of him when he's older," Tifa said in a hushed voice.

Nanaki walked in the room and sat at Cloud's feet, eyes intent on Kai. Yuffie whispered a 'hi' to him and heard Kai start to cry. Cloud looked at the baby, wondering what was wrong, but Tifa giggled. "He needs a diaper change. Here, let me see him." Tifa picked him up motherly and went out of view of the PHS.

Cloud and Nanaki looked at the PHS and sighed in relief. Yuffie giggled. "So Cloud how is life as a father?" Cloud leaned against the back of the couch. "Tiring. That kid tends to want a midnight snack every night." Yuffie laughed a bit and turned to Nanaki. "Well now Nanaki how is babysitting going with the little guy?" Nanaki looked confused. "I never said I would baby-sit."

Vincent heard this, shocked. _I could have gone with Nanaki and not Yuffie? I'm definitely going to have to talk to Tifa about that. _

**Well, it doesn't seem too bad. You do love Yuffie, so if I were you I would pick that wench over the mutt any day. **

Vincent couldn't think of a way to reply to that. He had started to accept the fact that he loved Yuffie, but he was still unsure of how to handle things. He remembered that Aerith told him he would have to show Yuffie that he loved her for her to do something about her feelings, but what was he supposed to do?

Back in Yuffie's POV . . .

Tifa came back with Kai in her arms, softly asleep as she softly sang a lullaby, rocking the baby gently in her arms. She placed him in a nearby cradle, covering him with the small blanket in there and went to join Cloud on the couch.

"So how has the stone hunt thing been so far?" Tifa inquired, leaning her head on Cloud's shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her waist. Yuffie smiled wide. "Only one more stone to go!"

Vincent loomed into view on the PHS, a small smile on his face. "I have a question Cloud," He told him and held up the Selflessness stone. Cloud shook himself from the fact that Vincent was actually SMILING, and nodded.

Vincent recited the clue over the PHS and waited for an answer. Cloud looked at Vincent and gulped. "I think it's at the church in the 5th sector slums." Vincent nodded. He turned to Yuffie and gave her 300 Gil. "We need to restock supplies today if you want to have tomorrow off."

"Um, okay . . ." Yuffie hesitated before taking the Gil and leaving the room, heading to town. Both Tifa and Cloud looked at him suspiciously. "Okay, what do you need to tell us that Yuffie can't hear?" Tifa asked accusingly.

"The night before we got the next stone . . . Aerith found a way to contact me for a few minutes, which by the way she says hi," Vincent blurted out before he knew what he was saying. Tifa and Cloud's eyes widened in shock. "A-Aerith?" They both said loudly. Vincent sighed.

Vincent started back to when Yuffie prayed to the Mideel ruins to after Aerith left. The two sat there, a huge grin on each of their faces. Vincent even so much as showed them the choker, which both approved of. But finally the question came, "How am I supposed to prove to Yuffie that I do . . . well, you know."

Tifa looked at him with a serious expression written on her face. "That is what you must find out. Me and Cloud cannot help you when it comes to the actual emotion 'love', but we will support you all the way." Vincent nodded. "Thank you."

"And in case any of you are wondering, I'm asking you this because thanks to the stones, my emotions are returning, little by little and since I haven't had them in a while, they confuse me." He added. "Aerith wanted me to make sure you guys know she said hi anyways." Cloud looked distant for a minute before he nodded and the two parties said goodbye.

Oo00oO

"Yes! I win the bet!" Cloud yelled quietly (I know, it makes so much sense) careful not to wake Kai. Tifa shrugged her shoulders. "No you haven't. He has to be the one to kiss Yuffie, not the other way around for you to win. Since neither has kissed, the bet is still on!" Tifa had a triumphant look on her face as Cloud's spirits fell.

Kai started whimpering in his cradle. Tifa sighed and started to get up when Cloud put one of his hands on her shoulders and got up. "I'll take care of him," He told her solemnly.

Tifa giggled. "He's hungry Cloud, I have to take care of him." She got up and picked up the whining infant and went into the bathroom and closed the door. A few minutes later, she reappeared with Kai who was stretching his tiny arms out to his father.

Cloud sighed happily and gratefully took his child in his arms. But soon after, the little boy was playing with his spiky hair again. "Kai, don't tug at papa's hair, it hurts," Cloud told him, freeing his sore locks from the little infants grip. Tifa giggled. She definitely thought that Kai would grow up to be just like his father; or at least he would be just as stubborn.

Oo00oO

Yuffie walked back in the room with the bag of supplies in her hands. After setting them down by their packs, she turned to see Vincent sitting on a chair looking out the window. Her PHS was sitting on her bed. "Um, I have the supplies Vinnie," She told him nervously, gesturing to the bag by their packs. He nodded.

"Tomorrow there is gonna be a lunar eclipse at the exact same time I was born. I was thinking we could go on one of the hills and watch tomorrow evening?" Yuffie asked. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut; waiting for the 'no' she was suspecting when instead she heard, "It sounds alright to me."

It sounded as though it was in this strange half monotone voice, like Vincent was trying to hide an emotion and miserably failing. But Yuffie decided not to ask him about it. She instead looked out the window for a brief moment. It was late, and the moon was almost full, just waiting for tomorrow nights phenomenon.

Yuffie got on her bed and locked storm eyes with blood red ones. "Good night Vinnie," She said wearily, giving a small smile. "Good night Yuffie," He told her.

_Leviathan, please let my birthday wish come true! _Yuffie mentally begged.

Tomorrow morning, Yuffie woke up at high noon. Vincent smirked when he saw he rousing and said, "It's about time you woke up." Yuffie turned to him and smiled. After showering and all the morning usuals, she went to her pack and took a small reserve of Gil from it.

"Don't worry; this is from my own wallet. I'm gonna go see what's around town. Be back in an hour or two!" She waved to him and sped out the door. But little did Vincent know, she was not out there on a shopping spree for materia.

Oo00oO

Yuffie scanned the dresses at the store she was in. Yuffie had never gone shopping for clothes before; she usually just got what she did from the palace at Wutai. So she had no idea what to do. She pulled out her PHS and called Tifa.

"Hi Yuffie!" Tifa greeted her. "Hi Tifa. Listen, I'm out here shopping for a dress and I have never been clothes shopping before, so I need help. Tifa was shocked. "You have shopping before? All right that's it, when you get home, your belated birthday present from me will be a trip to the nearest store for some shopping!" Yuffie giggled.

"Sounds good to me, but right now, I need help!" Yuffie confessed loudly into the PHS only to be shushed by Tifa as she pointed to the cradle behind her. So in the next hour, Yuffie learned the basics of shopping.

After a while, she left the store with a dark green halter topped dress that hugged her every curve perfectly and stopped at the lower thigh. She also had bought small black shoes that only had a small heel, so she only looked a half inch taller. All around, Tifa had said that she looked great in what was picked.

Oo00oO

Night came quickly as anticipation was in the town. Everyone got on the roofs of their home or found a spot in the street. But thankfully, the hills were left completely vacant.

Yuffie changed in the bathroom and left Vincent to wait a minute. When she came out, she could have sworn that she saw Vincent's eyes widen a bit in surprise. When she noticed he was staring she blushed. "Um, let's go. We don't want to miss the lunar eclipse, right?" She offered a nervous smile. He nodded and followed her out the door.

They had hiked up to the top of the hill at last; the crystal stars seemed to dull as the lunar eclipse approached.

**You do have the choker, right? **Chaos asked Vincent in his head.

_Of course I do! Now please for once be quiet! If this is going to happen, I don't want your perverted thoughts in the back ground. _

The time had finally come. The moon was aligned with the sun as it burned a fierce red over some craters, yet at the top of the moon, it lessened, going from a burnt orange to a pale yellow, as if blending together the colors on the canvas of a masterpiece painting.

"Beautiful," Yuffie breathed her attention to the sky. Vincent tapped her shoulder and held out the box. "Happy birthday," He simply said. Yuffie smiled nervously and took the box. She shakily untied the ribbon and when she opened it she gasped in happiness and surprise. Her eyes kept on darting between him and the choker before she took it out of the box and put it around her neck. It fit her perfectly.

She turned to Vincent, happiness on her face. "Thank you!" she cried. _It's now or never Yuffie!_ She told herself. Yuffie got on the tips of her toes and softly pressed her lips to his. After a few seconds, she pulled away, trying to apologize, he face getting as red as the moon when Vincent tilted her chin up so she had to look at him.

"Its okay," He told her before he kissed her softly, his arms wrapping around her waist. Yuffie was beyond shocked that he kissed her back after she kissed him, but she was not complaining! Her arms went around his neck as he deepened the kiss and the two shortly after broke apart.

Yuffie looked up at him with pure joy written on her expression. She rested her head on his chest as she looked at the moon, in pure rapture of the moment as Vincent held her.

"Um, does this mean we're a couple now?" Yuffie asked, gazing at Vincent. He smirked and kissed her passionately then pulled away. "Does that answer your question?" Yuffie nodded and looked at her mother's star.

_Thank you so much mother!_

And the two just stood there, gazing at the moon for what seemed all eternity as the fiery red orb dangled from the sky, watching over the town as fate brought together another two people.

Yay! Chapter five is done! Yes, this chappie was shorter than usual and made of mainly fluff, but I just couldn't resist it any longer! I hope that pleased all of you Yuffentine lovers out there! This may or may not be my last update until Monday, that I don't know, but I will update when I can! Also, next chapter is one of the chappie's where I mention all of my wonderful reviewers, so please review!

ichi


	6. Chapter 6

Hello loyal reviewers! Ichi here reminding you that this is one of those chappie's where my lovely reviewers are mentioned, so here it is! Redlei, The Red Hawk (btw, thanks for the lollipops!), Lord Makura, losttoxichope, Hafaku, WolfDemonRika, Katori Tsubasa, Summoner XI, wildgirlxyz3, Muffin the Muffin, Ruler of Destiny, okatu dreamer, and souldriven. Thank you all, I shall update soon! Now then, fan fiction time!

Disclaimer: I do not own final fantasy. Though we all wish, we can't all own it! (Think of the dispute that would break out over Vincent!)

Yuffie woke up to the smell of roses and felt two arms around her; one human, the other metal. She looked up and saw Vincent was now awake, gazing into her storm eyes.

After Yuffie fell asleep in his arms, he carried her back to the inn and laid her down on her bed. But she started shifting in her sleep, a nightmare arising. So he slept with her in his arms that night.

"Morning Vinnie," She said quietly. Vincent smirked. "Good morning," He replied and kissed her on the forehead. Yuffie got up and stretched out before noticing she was still in last night's clothes. She grabbed her normal attire and changed in the bathroom.

"So how long will it be until we reach the sector 5 slums?" Yuffie inquired as she slung her pack over her shoulder. Vincent pondered that for a second before replying, "Two weeks if we go by land, but only a few days if we take an airship." Yuffie froze when she heard plane.

Vincent sighed. "I can give you tranquilizer if you wish." Yuffie nodded and gulped, fingering the choker at her neck delicately. The two left the inn shortly after and make way to where they could get an airship ride. While they were walking, Vincent noticed that Yuffie's hand had slid into his.

**You only now noticed? She's been like that for a while!**

_Yes well, I have been quite concerned with the final stone._

**And that totally explains why every guy we pass is staring suggestively at Yuffie?**

Sure enough, perverts from all over were staring at the young ninja. Vincent put an arm protectively around Yuffie, glaring at anyone who looked at her with even a hint of perversion. Yuffie smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder. It's about time he noticed!

Just before the two boarded, Vincent gave her the tranquilizer and she slid into his embrace as the two were boarded.

An hour after Vincent had settled with Yuffie at the front of the ship, Yuffie's PHS rang. Yuffie, who was coming around now that the tranquilizer had settled in her system, picked it up and was staring at Tifa.

"So? How did your birthday go?" Tifa asked excitedly. Yuffie smiled and walked to the side of the ship, proceeding to tell Tifa of everything that happened from when she walked out of the bathroom to when she fell asleep in Vincent's arms, Tifa grinning from ear to ear all the way.

"Wait? So you kissed Vincent first, right?" Tifa asked her. Yuffie nodded happily. "Hey Cloud, I won!" Tifa yelled triumphantly.

Cloud came into view with Kai sitting on his shoulders, playing his fathers giant spikes. "Kai, please stop tugging at papa's hair!" He scolded, scooping the baby up in his arms, holding his hands down from his head gently.

He turned his attention to Yuffie. "Yuffie did you or did you not kiss Vincent before he kissed you?" Yuffie retold the whole thing and Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "Aw, great, now I have to handle all the chores in this freaking huge house for a month!"

Yuffie sounded puzzled for a moment before she realized what they meant. "You made a bet that me and Vincent would get together?" Yuffie yelled, still unsure that she believed what her ears were telling her.

Tifa and Cloud were busted to say the least. Cloud scratched the back of his neck with one hand, giving Kai a chance to tug at his father's hair again while Tifa gave an apologetic smile. "Um, yeah, we kind of did." Yuffie was enraged.

"You do realize that if you didn't have Kai like, right there, I would be screaming bloody murder at the two of you, right?" Her voice was low, threatening, holding back from what she really wanted to yell at them. The two nodded gravely. Kai found an even spikier part of Cloud's head and started pulling. Yuffie giggled as Cloud winced.

"Yeah Kai, you get 'em! He deserves that much for not only betting on me getting together with Vincent, but for being the one to bet AGAINST me!" Yuffie mock yelled playfully, her cheerfulness returned. Kai gurgled as a response. He stopped pulling and started to cry.

"Come here Kai, I'll get you something to eat," His mother told him dutifully, carefully lifting the baby and going in the bathroom. Cloud was thoroughly puzzled. "How does she do that?" Yuffie sounded puzzled. "Do what?"

"You know, immediately know what he wants?" Cloud really sounded confused. Yuffie giggled. "It's probably maternal instinct. I knew what he wanted too you know." Cloud sighed. "That's just not fair. You girls all understand baby language while I'm stuck in the blue here."

Yuffie smiled. "You probably could understand if you pay attention to the pattern it usually goes in. Once you understand that much then it's pretty simple." Cloud looked at her funny. "How do you know this? You haven't even had a kid yet!"

"Back in the palace, I used to baby-sit for my aunt. The baby was on the bottle by then, but a pattern was still there," Yuffie answered. "Well, you seem like you'll be busy enough with cleaning, so I'll leave you to get to it!" Cloud shrugged. "Good bye Yuffie," He said sternly. "Buh-bye!" She answered cheerfully, waving at the darkened spiky head before ending the call.

Yuffie stuffed the PHS in her pocket, grumbling about plans to get back at Cloud and Tifa. Vincent raised an eyebrow. Yuffie then went into explaining the two's little bet. "I mean, it's just so . . . grrrrr!" Yuffie said angrily.

Vincent smirked and hugged her from behind. "Well, I guess we will have to talk to those two when we get back, won't we?" Yuffie nodded enthusiastically before feeling motion sickness return, run to the side of the ship and puke.

Vincent sighed and went to help take care of Yuffie, holding her hair out of the way and such. This time Vincent remembered to bring more than one dose of tranquilizer though. When she was done, Vincent gave Yuffie another dose of tranquilizer, letting her sleep for another while.

The next two days went well enough, the same pattern, Yuffie wakes up, pukes, has a dose of tranquilizer, sleeps a bit, eats, repeat. When they finally got off the airship, Yuffie cursed at it, and then went on cheerfully by Vincent, her sickness gone. "Yay! Only one more stone to go!" She said excitedly.

Vincent smirked. He too was enjoying the fact that Chaos was almost out of him.

**And thank freaking Satin that we only have one more stone to go! **

_Yeah, well, for once I am going to agree in the fact that you are only one or two more steps away from being forever out of my mind. _

They stepped out of the building and into the slums. "Oh my god, THIS is the slums?" Yuffie asked, shocked. Everywhere was a wreck. Creeps sat on the street making rude remarks to any women who passed. Buildings were way out of maintenance. The whole place spelled 'dump city'. Yuffie stayed close to Vincent, her hands held tightly around his human arm.

"Hey there, why don't you leave tall and dark over there and come sit with me cutie?" a man said suggestively, even going as far as to pinch her butt. Vincent didn't take long to react. He dug his claw in the man's shoulder, his blood red eyes seething in anger. Yuffie even pitched in and kicked the guy in the crotch.

"Pervert!" she screamed. Vincent's claw dug further into his shoulder. "Do not touch her," He told the man menacingly, his red eyes burning with fury. He pushed the man away. "Now get out of my sight." And the man bolted for his life.

Yuffie stayed much closer to Vincent and he kept a protective arm firmly on her, his cloak pooling around the two of them in the wind. The first thing they did was tried to find an inn that was even somewhat decent looking and rented a room for the night.

Yuffie blushed slightly when she saw the room. It only had one bed. She put her stuff on the floor at the foot of it and looked over to Vincent. "Are we going to head to the church now, or what?" He nodded and kissed her softly. "Just stay close to me. I don't want any of those creeps going after you again." Yuffie giggled.

"I wouldn't leave you for two-timing jerks like them even if it meant my life!" Yuffie told him whole heartedly. "Now then, let's go! The town looked a little bit nicer towards the southern end of it, so maybe that's where the church is!"

Oo00oO

The perverted man that hit on Yuffie went in a room and called someone on his cell phone. "Hey Corneo, you there?" The man asked. A gruff voice answered in a, "Yeah, whaddya want?" The man sighed.

"You remember that wench we tried to nab once? Yuffie is her name I think." Corneo reminisced shortly before answering, "Yeah, I liked that one. She was feisty. Too bad her buddies came and pulled her out."

"Well I've found her and this time she is only with one of her buddies," The man said. "Thinking what I'm thinking?" Corneo burst out laughing. "Get three others and follow them. I think that she will be a nice addition to the other ones we have."

"I'm on it," The man said slyly.

Oo00oO

Yuffie and Vincent were standing out of what looked like ruins of an old church. Yuffie smiled. "I think we found it!" The two strode in to find a giant circle of flowers in the mass of fallen ceiling bits broken benches lined the way to it. Just as they stepped on the edge of the flower bed, the sun's rays intensified almost to a blinding point. When their eyes adjusted a very familiar girl was standing in the center of the flower bed. It was Aerith.

"Aerith! You're here!" Yuffie screamed in delight and confusion. Just as Yuffie went up to hug her, her body went right through Aerith's and she fell to the flower bed. Aerith turned to Yuffie. "I'm so sorry Yuffie. But I am not alive. My spirit and soul belong here, so this is where I went after I died."

"Wait, don't go, and don't fade!" Yuffie told her. "Tifa and Cloud need to see this." Yuffie pulled out her PHS and called Tifa as fast as her fingers could dial. "Hi Yuffie! You get the last stone?" came her cheerful voice.

Yuffie shook her head. "No Tifa. But you need to see this." She pointed the PHS to Aerith who smiled and waved. "Hi Tifa. How are things with Cloud?" Aerith said uneasily.

Tifa's gasp was quite audible over the PHS. "Cloud Strife, get your butt down here now, there is something very important that you need to see!" There was running heard and then Cloud appeared with a sleeping Kai in his hands.

"What, what is it?" Tifa pointed to the PHS and his eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Aerith? Are you really there?" He asked in surprise and shock.

"No, I am sorry guys, but I'm still dead. My soul just came here when I died, so I am forever bound here." Aerith looked at the baby in Cloud's arms and smiled wide. "I knew that you two were going to get together sometime soon!" Cloud and Tifa blushed, but thought not much of it.

Before Cloud could say a thing, Aerith looked at everyone and stated, "I know you all tried to save me, but please do not think that my death is your fault. The planet told me of my coming death, so that is why I made no resistance. Bad things happen when you go against the planet. But my life was not in vain by the looks of it!"

The others looked at her with this profound love; like a little sister that came home after running away. "Well Aerith, We are all glad to see you at least one more time," Cloud said, his eyes welling with small tears.

He blinked them away as Tifa put her arms around him smiling at Aerith happily. "You were and always have been a sister to me Aerith. I am glad that you have been doing alright in your afterlife or whatever you call it!"

Aerith nodded. She then turned to Yuffie and Vincent. "I am glad that you two finally got together. I have been watching you ever since your journey started and even the planet was getting tired of waiting!" Yuffie blushed furiously and Vincent only reddened the slightest bit.

"Well, although I am able to do this there is a time limit. It is only a few minutes every few months or so really," Aerith informed them. She started to fade slightly, laughing gently. "Do not worry all of you. Even if I am not physically there, my star is forever watching over you all!" Yuffie ran to Aerith and hugged her slowly fading spirit, even if it was just air.

Aerith tried to return it, but was fading, and a few seconds after, she was gone. "Stop by again next month! I missed you all. Bye now!" Aerith's gentle voice echoed through the church.

Yuffie fell to her knees. "I will miss you Aerith," She whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. Vincent gently held her as she let a few tears go. Within a minute her composure returned.

She turned to the PHS. "Hey guys, every month, we are taking the Highwind and we are visiting this church, right?" The two nodded enthusiastically. Kai reached out to the screen as if he was waving. Yuffie 'awww'ed and waved back.

"We have to go; I just thought you may have wanted to see Aerith," Yuffie said. Tifa nodded. "We all miss her Yuffie. We will definitely stop by there every month," She told her, a smile on her face. "Bye!" The couple called. Yuffie waved and put away her PHS.

A white glow came from the back of the wall. Vincent strode up to it, letting the dull glow roar into a luminous light, thundering to life as he touched the wall. As the blinding light dulled, a white stone with a small heart carved on it.

He reached out and took it, but just as he turned it over to see the clue as to where to bind the four stones together he heard Yuffie shriek, "Let me go! Let me go, you perverted bastard!"

Vincent spun around to find the man from earlier grab Yuffie and he held her so she was twisted in a way whereas she couldn't fight back, only struggle. "I knew you would warm up to me," He whispered in her ear. Yuffie used her head and knocked his head away just before he actually planted his grimy, perverted mouth on her cheek.

Vincent grabbed his gun and aimed at the man's head. "Let her go now, bastard!" The man holding her in such a way chuckled. "Would you risk her life like that? I very well could use a human shield." Vincent froze. Yuffie's eyes pleaded for him to save her, but if he fired, that man might move her to take the bullet.

"But just in case . . ." The man pulled out a knife and held it to Yuffie's throat. He forced Yuffie to walk backwards. But just before they went out of sight, Yuffie's finger wiggled near her pocket where the PHS was and mouthed, "I'll call you." Three men followed behind the man that had Yuffie captive. Vincent nodded and checked one of his pockets. He had his PHS.

**I guess it's a good thing that you were a Turk for a bit, eh?**

_For once, it has a plus. Now I have to follow those men. They look like they are only lackeys. Their boss must want something to do with Yuffie._

**Then what are you standing here for? You have your girlfriend to save!**

Vincent hid himself within the shadows as he trailed the group of men that had Yuffie. The apparent leader of that small group no longer had the knife at her throat. "You know, if Corneo doesn't pick you, your mine for tonight," He told her. She twisted her head and spat in his eyes. "I would rather die than do anything even near that with a sleazy jerk like you!"

One of his lackeys slapped her. "Watch your mouth woman!" He yelled in a gruff voice. Vincent wanted so much to leap out and kill both men right then and there, but his years as a Turk held him back.

_Corneo? Didn't we teach that bastard not to touch any of AVALANCHE's crew?_

**I guess the lesson didn't get through to his tiny little brain. **

_Then I guess I have to do some 'explaining'._

Vincent followed the group to a flashy mansion. He hid in the shadows and entered behind them, though it was too bright in the interior to enter. He would have to wait for Yuffie to find a way to pull through.

Oo00oO

"Hey wench, it's required that you wear what we give you, or go in naked, go it?" A tall man ordered her, putting folded black fabric in her hands and stuffing her in a room. Yuffie sighed. Did she really have a choice in the matter? Thankfully, nobody was in the room. She unfolded the fabric to find it was a really revealing black dress (as in, if she leaned down the slightest bit, her undies would show)

Yuffie blushed furiously. She had to wear this? She looked and found that a camera was in the corner. "First things first . . ." Yuffie whispered to herself. She ripped off a piece of her sock and tied it around the camera lens. She then slipped into the dress and looked in the mirror. True, she looked really hot in it, but it was WAY too revealing for her tastes.

"Vinnie?" She whispered into her PHS.

Oo00oO

"Vinnie?" Vincent heard from his PHS. "Don't turn on visuals. If they catch me, I don't want them seeing who you are." Vincent's heart leaped with relief when he heard her voice. "Yuffie? Are you okay? They haven't done anything to you have they?" He asked worriedly.

"Well, other than getting my butt pinched and forcing me to wear this shred of fabric they call a dress or go naked, I'm alright." Vincent was half in rage and half in relief. They hadn't DONE anything to her that was the important part. But the butt pinching and forcing her to look like a slut was definitely bugging him to no end.

"I found a window!" She said triumphantly. He heard a window slide open and looked up. A few stories above him, Vincent saw a hand stick out and wave. Instinctively, he climbed up a tree. Just as their hands were mere inches away from each other, steps were heard outside the door.

Yuffie dropped the PHS and mouthed 'hide' to him before turning around to hear a gruff voice yell, "Get out here wench, its time!" The man gruffly grabbed her arm and dragged her and no matter how she resisted, the man was still able to drag her on. Before she disappeared, she mouthed 'please save me' and blew a kiss.

Vincent entered the room when they had gone. He quickly and silently followed behind until they were in a huge room where three other girls were on their knees, struggling to escape thick chains that were attached to the floor. The man threw Yuffie down and chained her with the others.

Finally a fat, haughty man appeared in the room. "Thank you my buddies for bringing me a good batch this time!" He yelled, and then examined every girl from her chest to her butt. He pointed at Yuffie. "You boys get the rest!" He yelled, unchaining Yuffie and grabbed her.

Vincent wasted no time. He burst in the room, Death Penalty out and fired right by Corneo's foot. "Let her go now you perverted ass hole!" He screamed. "I have yet to miss a target and with your fat ass, I would have to be blind to miss!" Yuffie took the distraction to nail Corneo in the crotch, causing him to drop her, and she quickly unchained the others who muttered their thanks and bolted for it.

Yuffie soon after ran to Vincent, welcoming the safety of his strong, protective arm around her waist. Vincent fired his gun straight into Corneo's perverted brain, causing him to fall over and die. He then pointed Death Penalty at the man who kidnapped Yuffie earlier and fired.

"Let's go," He said, holding her PHS out to her. Yuffie took it, thankful that he picked it up after she dropped it. The two ran to the window that Vincent came through earlier and after Yuffie managed to pick up her things while the two were running, flew out the window and grabbed the tree branch, pulling her on to it.

Vincent soon followed and found Yuffie had already gotten the dress off and was back in her normal clothing. "I kept on all the clothing I could when they handed me this shred of fabric they called a dress," Yuffie explained. Only when the two reached their room in the inn did they relax.

As soon as the door shut, Vincent wrapped his arms around Yuffie and kissed her firmly. After awhile they broke apart for air and Yuffie whispered to him, "Thank you." Vincent smirked and kissed her forehead.

He then remembered that he hadn't looked at the stone's next clue. He held out the stone at an angle so they could both read the following:

_Congratulations oh cursed one_

_One more step, and you shall be free_

_Only travel by the sun _

_To find what you seek:_

_An icy valley has many peaks_

_The tallest is the one I speak_

_Place the stones in the wall_

_For the world to hear your call_

Yuffie looked at Vincent. "Icicle town, or at least around it," She said. Vincent nodded and put the stone away. "We are leaving here tomorrow before dawn. The sooner we leave this place the better." Yuffie gave her silent approval as the two curled up on the bed, Vincent's arms forever protecting the small ninja

Woohooo! The 6th chappie is DONE! I wrote this chapter in like; 7 hours, so I hope it wasn't bad due to the fast job. I just had this idea and it burst out as soon as I started to type. Well, the usual! R&R!

Ichi


	7. Chapter 7

Hello reviewers! You are all awesome, and I mean it because today I hit an all time high of 64 REVIEWS! I know that some people have like, hundreds of reviews but it's my first fic, you gotta work with me here! Well, my good friend The Red Hawk gave me huge amounts of lollipops, so I am sharing them all around! Go ahead; you have all been awesome with your reviews. I feel extremely lucky and honored to not have a flame yet on my first fic. So this chappie is dedicated to all of my loyal reviewers! I luv ya'll, please keep reviewing this story and any other fan fics I might write in the future! Enjoy the fic!

Disclaimer: I am the owner of square enix. I totally own FF 7. Oh, I am totally not being sarcastic (NOT!) If I owned Square Enix, I would be working on the re-make of FF 7 (as in FF 7 with better graphics and all those good things.)

Vincent and Yuffie left before dawn as planned. It would take them a week to get to Icicle town on foot. Yuffie and Vincent were on their third day when Yuffie's PHS rang. Yuffie sighed and picked it up. Instead of seeing Tifa as usual, it was Cloud, his eyes under a lot of worry.

"Hey Cloud, is something wrong?" Yuffie asked with sympathy in her voice. Cloud nodded. "Kai is sick with a fever. Infants his age have sometimes died from being sick this young." Yuffie gasped. This was not good.

"We are giving him some medicine and he is gotten a small amount better, but not enough to stop round-the-clock care yet," Cloud told her. Yuffie turned to Vincent. "Vinnie, we have to hold up a second, I think I remember reading about a solution for this kind of situation in the medicine pack we have." Vincent nodded and stopped moving north as Yuffie desperately unpacked the bag of medicines until she found something.

"Alright, it will just be a minute," Yuffie assured an already worried Cloud. Yuffie understood his worry. Yuffie felt the same as he is now when her mother was ill. But Kai still had a fighting chance. So Yuffie was going to find medicine even if it meant going to Hell and back. She finally found the page she was looking for. "Aha!" She cried, pointing at the medicinal solution.

"Okay Cloud, I found the cure for an infant with a fever, so you better write this down!" She ordered into the PHS. Cloud already had a pen and paper. "Okay, now tell me how to make it." Yuffie listed out the ingredients and how to prepare them.

"Then you must administer the solution through a shot," Yuffie finished. Cloud nodded and finished writing the medicine's recipe, his fingers sore form writing so fast and so much at once.

"Tifa, Yuffie had a cure!" He called. Tifa came running in the room. Cloud handed her the list as she looked it over thoroughly. She then picked up a basket by the door. "I grow a few of the main ingredients in the garden. Cloud, you go buy the rest of the ingredients. If we both finish quickly, Kai can get the shot administered tonight."

Cloud nodded. "Good bye Yuffie. I owe you big time," He told her, his worried eyes lightening a bit. Yuffie ended the call and stuffed the PHS in her pocket. "Let's go now," She said, her eyes only carrying a trace of worry. Though Vincent knew her well enough to know that she was a nervous wreck on the inside.

"It's alright Yuffie," he told her, embracing her which she gratefully returned. "If Kai is anything like his father, he is going to be able to hold the fever at bay until he gets the medicine administered." Yuffie nodded and picked up her pack. "We need to get to Icicle Town; I doubt you want to keep that demon inside you for too much longer than you have to."

Vincent nodded and followed after her. When they camped that night, another chill wind had arisen. Yuffie tried her best to hide the fact that she was cold, but her arms were covered in Goosebumps.

Vincent sighed and curled up next to her, letting his arms go around her. He had gotten used to this by now. Yuffie's body tensed when she felt someone's arms slide around her, than relaxed, sleeping soundly as her head leaned against his chest.

**Sigh only a few more days before I can get out of this damned head!**

_Yes, only a few more days until you can leave and I can go five minutes without hearing any disgusting comments._

**Well I'm a demon, host; did you expect me to be decent? **

_You know, that excuse is getting really old._

**So? Like you can do anything about it!**

Vincent closed his eyes. Just a few more days and he _would_ be able to do something about it.

They got up early that morning and set out faster than normal. The fact that their journey was almost over with drove them to go twice as hard. The chilly weather was starting to pick up just as they were two days out from Icicle Town.

"One sec Vinnie," Yuffie told him. They were starting to enter snow fall areas. Yuffie took her pack and ordered him, "No peeking, you here?" After a minute, Yuffie came out in a white long sleeved shirt with a green jacket, khaki pants and black boots. "We are going into snow, so I don't want to freeze my butt off," She explained. Vincent nodded and the two went on.

The two found a small out of the way cave to camp in that night. If they left slightly earlier than usual tomorrow, they would reach Icicle town by nightfall. The two once again shared a bed roll due to the cold and nothing to coax a fire to life.

After waking up once again, they were about two hours into their travels when snow began to fall heavier and heavier until it was a flurry. They were miles away from town so they had no way to flag out for help. Yuffie stayed as close to Vincent as she could, his crimson cloak easily spotted in the white dust.

Her entire body felt frozen and weak. _I can't give in yet. I need to continue with Vincent. I have to stay awake . . . I . . . must stay . . ._

Although that thought was never completed because her body, worn by the cold and snow, fell to the ground, unconscious. Vincent heard her fall and wheeled around. "Yuffie!" He cried out, rushing to her side. He felt her wrist. It felt as cold as ice, but there was a pulse.

He picked her up and wrapped his cloak around both of them, trapping his body heat around her and went on. Thanks to his 'modifications' he was able to stand the cold a bit better than Yuffie. In a few hours, the cold started to get to him, but Yuffie's body heat was returning to her, so they were both kept somewhat warm.

Thankfully, Vincent found a way to reach town carrying Yuffie. He burst through the door, thoroughly tired. People waiting stared for a second before noticing the girl in his arms. A few of them wasted no time in rushing over to see what was wrong.

"Sir, are you alright?" The clerk asked, concerned. Vincent waved her off. "I am fine, though I am unsure of Yuffie. She fell unconscious when we were trying to get through the storm, so I carried her the rest of the way. She has yet to wake up, so I am a bit worried of her."

"Let me take a look sir," He told Vincent. The gunslinger set Yuffie down, her head in his lap as he kept his worried eyes down upon her. The clerk examined her from how cold her skin felt to the beat of her heart.

"She will be fine if we take the appropriate actions," He informed Vincent after ten minutes. "The girl will have to be stripped of all but her under clothing, wrapped in about five blankets, and her head must have a warm, wet towel on it. If you do that, she will wake up in a matter of hours."

Vincent nodded. "Me and Yuffie-" Vincent gestured to the ninja- "Were intending to come here by nightfall. The storm picked up once we were too far from our last night's shelter to remember where it was. Yuffie collapsed halfway, so I used my cloak to trap body heat and carried her the rest of the way here."

The clerk nodded. "I will send the proper supplies up to your room sir," He stood up and went to a phone, making the proper arrangements. Vincent picked up Yuffie and headed to their room. When he entered, he found five soft, warm blankets, a towel and a bucket of warm water.

"I'm sorry Yuffie, but I would rather do this then let you die," Vincent whispered, taking the steps the clerk informed him of.

**Holy $#! And I thought she was cute before, she's hot!**

_She won't be if she's dead, so shut your perverted mouth and let me do this in peace!_

**Fine, but you know just as well as I, she is definitely for the taking as soon as I am out of here!**

_No she is not you bastard, and don't even think about even touching her whence you are released or you WILL regret it!_

Vincent started wrapping Yuffie in the blankets, making sure every inch of her would be covered and warm. Lastly, He squeezed out the now dampened and steaming towel and placed it on her forehead. There was not to do but wait and make sure the towel stayed as warm as possible.

After five hours of waiting and dampening the towel every half hour, Yuffie stirred and let out a weary moan as she opened her eyes, slightly struggling through the blankets. She lightly took the towel off her head and looked around to find Vincent sitting next to her, his facial expression took that of relief.

Before she could say anything, Vincent's arms were around her as he kissed her passionately. Yuffie gratefully returned it, breaking apart after a bit. She looked down and noticed she was only in a bra and panties. Blushing furiously, Yuffie covered herself as best she could with one of the blankets. Vincent just barely blushed visibly.

"My deepest apologies Yuffie," He told her, eyes downcast. "It was either doing this and hope to the world you would wake up or leave you like you were earlier and let you die." Yuffie smiled and hugged him.

"It's alright," She told him, beaming into his crimson eyes. "I owe you my life once again, Vincent, I am indebted to you forever. And if getting down to my bra and underwear means I'll stay alive, I guess I don't mind."

Yuffie was still blushing profusely. She playfully pushed him. "You're lucky you're my boyfriend, or I would be yelling at you no tomorrow!" Vincent smirked. No matter what, Yuffie always seemed to be on the optimistic side, helping him carry on.

"But right now, I think it would be nice to get back into my clothing," Yuffie said flatly. She looked at him in the eye, her normal cheerfulness returned. "No peeking, okay? That was a one time deal!" She grabbed her pack and went into the bathroom, still wobbling a little.

She came back out in what she was dressed in earlier, leaning against the wall with her forearm. "I guess I'm still a bit weak," She said, smiling wearily. Vincent helped her over to the bed, letting her sit down. A knock was on the door. "Come in," Yuffie said weakly.

The clerk walked in and sighed in relief. "You're awake! You have that lad to thank for that young miss, or you could never have woken up, if you get what I mean!" Yuffie nodded. "I am beyond grateful to Vinnie for saving me. I also thank you for telling him how to save me, or I would still be the same, you know?"

"Well, its best you get some rest. A hot meal in the morning will help," He informed her before departing. Yuffie leaned against Vincent's shoulder. "Thank you so much," She whispered before she kissed him shyly, which he returned. When they broke apart, she leaned against his chest and closed her eyes. Vincent glanced down to find her asleep.

Vincent smirked and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep with her. The two did not wake until late next morning, wrapped in each other's arms.

Oo00oO

Tifa woke up to find she was leaning against Kai's cradle. She looked in the cradle to find Kai with his face having some color. She hastily checked his temperature. It read 99.0 degrees. Tifa sighed in relief. "Cloud, it's almost gone!" She yelled happily up the stairs.

A small crash was heard and Cloud came skidding in the room. "The fever is almost gone? Are you sure?" Cloud asked excitedly. Tifa showed him the thermometer and he grabbed Tifa around the waist and kissed her passionately. "I love you, you know that?" He told her as he gazed down at his sleeping son, happy as he has ever felt with the exception of his wedding day.

Kai started to wake up and pulled his arms out to his father. Cloud went to him and picked him up, submitting to a little bit of hair pulling for once. Tifa smiled as she watched this. _He really is a great father _Tifa thought over and over.

Oo00oO

Yuffie woke up once again in a sea of black and crimson. "Good morning Vinnie," Yuffie said groggily, rubbing on of her eyes. "Good morning," he replied, giving her a small kiss on the forehead. Yuffie and him got up, Yuffie only the slightest bit shaky. "I think I'll take that guy's advice and get something warm to eat," She told him and walked down to the door. "I'll be grabbing a bite to eat if you need me."

With that said, Yuffie walked out of the room, one of her hands on the wall for support. Vincent sighed. Why did Yuffie always have to push herself?

**Idiot. She loves you and she is obviously ready to push herself quite far for you. **

_What do you care? All you are is an emotionless, one-track minded, selfish bastard of a demon._

Chaos chuckled. **You will see, host, you will see.**

Vincent tensed at this. He planned to take Yuffie once he was out of Vincent's body that much was obvious. But he did not know all of his plans therefore that made protecting Yuffie pretty hard.

About a half hour later, Yuffie came through the door, still with a hand on the wall for support. "Yuffie, it appears that you will need an extra day to recover," Vincent thought aloud. Yuffie nodded and sat on a corner of her bed, her face carrying a troubled look.

"Is something the matter?" Vincent asked, gently rubbing one of his hands over her shoulder as he sat next to her. Yuffie nodded. "You know how you told me in the beginning of our journey that if you make a wrong move, you might be blown into oblivion? Well, the past few nights, Chaos has visited my dreams, but they are always of watching you suffer while I am frozen.

"Every night I go through the same torture, but it usually goes away when I wake up next to you. That is what is on my mind. I am scared stiff that as soon as the demon is released, he will try and kill you. Vincent, I'm just plain terrified!"

Tears started brimming along her eyes. Vincent held her to him, trying to sooth away the tears. Yuffie started singing, her voice less choked. The song she sang, unbeknownst to Vincent, was a special Wutaian song that was only sang to one you loved.

(A/n: I do not own the song. It was written and sung by Jade, from the band Sweetbox)

_I know that you're hiding things,_

_Using gentle words to shelter me_

_Your words were like a dream_

_But dreams could never fool me_

_Not that easily_

_I acted so distant then_

_Didn't say goodbye before you left_

_But I was listening _

_You'd fight your battles far from me_

_Far too easily_

_Save your tears, cause I'll come back_

_I could hear that you whispered _

_As you walked through that door_

_But still I swore_

_To hide the pain when I turned back the pages_

_Shouting might have been the answer_

_What if I cried my eyes out and begged you not to depart_

_But now I'm not afraid to say what's in my heart_

_For a thousand words_

_Have never been spoken_

_They'll fly to you_

_Pressing over the tide,_

_And instance holding you_

_Suspended on silver wings_

_Oh a thousand words_

_One thousand confessions_

_Will cradle you_

_Making all of the pain you feel seem far away_

_They'll hold you forever_

_The dream isn't over yet_

_Though I often say I can't forget_

_I still relive that day_

_You've been there with me all the way_

_I still hear you say_

'_Wait for me I'll write you letters'_

_I could see how you stammered with your eyes to the floor_

_But still I swore_

_To hide the doubt when I turned back the pages_

_Anger might have been the answer_

_What if I hung my head and said that I couldn't wait_

_But now I've strung the wharf to know it's not too late_

_Cause a thousand words_

_Called out through the ages_

_They'll fly to you_

_Even though we can't see_

_I know their reaching you_

_Suspended on silver wings_

_Oh a thousand words_

_One thousand embraces_

_Will cradle you_

_Making all of your weary days seem far away_

_They'll hold you forever_

_Oh a thousand words_

_Have never been spoken,_

_They'll fly to you_

_They'll carry you home_

_And back into my arms_

_Suspended on silver wings_

_And a thousand words_

_Called out through the ages_

_Will cradle you_

_Turning all of your lonely years to only days_

_They'll hold you forever_

Yuffie finished and gazed into Vincent's blood red eyes. He returned it with surprise and admiration. He never knew Yuffie could sing. Well, I guess there's a first for everything. He lifted his human hand to cup her face.

"Fear not Yuffie," He told her soothingly. "I doubt that Chaos would be going after me as his target. But I do know for a fact that he is most likely going to target you, so I have been stressed of late on how to keep him away from you." Yuffie nodded and kissed him, letting all time stop in that one pure moment.

They both thought that Chaos would attack the other, and both wanted to find a way to stop him. Although the answer is obvious, neither wanted to admit it. They would have to kill Chaos. Judging that he was a demon, things were not going to be easy.

Oo00oO

It was the next day, and the two judged Yuffie to be well enough to travel. As they stepped out of the inn, Vincent pointed to the highest mountain, standing a half mile over the rest. Yuffie nodded, took a gulp and followed behind him.

They were just at the foot of the mountain, when Yuffie suddenly came up to Vincent and kissed him soundly. When she backed away and explained, "Just in case we don't make it down." She tried hard to smile, but it only came as a half smile. She was a nervous wreck inside. Chaos could kill Vincent or her!

Vincent nodded. And as the two headed up the steep slope, Yuffie fingered lovingly at the choker around her neck.

_Mother, Aerith, I only have one last wish in my life. Please, save Vincent._

W0000ooooo! I decided to end the chapter on a cliffy, since if I continued it, it would go on for like, 25 pages (my chapters are 9 or 10 usually) so you will have to review to drive me to write the next chapter! Now then, I got school in the morning, so see you all! And please oh please review! Your awesome reviews are what keep me writing this! My hope is to break 100 reviews when this fic wraps up, so this next chapter is for you guys who have been with the story so far! You are all so great! (-) 

ichi


	8. Chapter 8

Hello reviewers one and all! Thanks a bunch for all of the reviews I got. I noticed a mistake in one of my disclaimer though. The song '1000 words' I put in was not written by Sweetbox; they just sang the English version of the song. The guy who wrote the song is Koda Kumi. My deepest apologies to any who noticed! I'm so sorry! Well, time to put and end to the cliffy! We are going into the last few chapters, so I shall take the phrase 'the best for last' as literally as I can! Enjoy the fic!

Yuffie was at Vincent's side the whole way up the mountain, her finger laced with his in desperate attempt to keep hold of him just in case it would be her last time. She tried not to show it, but she was way past being a nervous wreck. Flat out petrified described it much better. But still, she walked on at his side. She had a plan in her mind for when Chaos came out.

If he went after her, throw her Conformer and any other sharp ninja knives she had. If that went wrong, keep her PHS on her so the first chance she gets, contact Vincent and tell him where Chaos took her, and then stall for as long as she can.

If he went after Vincent, fight to the death as long as he lives. Okay, Vincent's side wasn't as thought out, but it held the same meaning. It all meant kill Chaos as soon as possible. She armed herself to the teeth that night, so she was prepared for any kind of battle the demon could throw.

Vincent however, was unable to make a plan. He couldn't even if he tried, because as soon as he thought of a good plan, Chaos would know and find a way to work around it. The stones made a small, grinding noise in his pocket as the clunked together.

His hand was in Yuffie's as they made their way up the mountain, eyes looking forward to their destination. He was in similar condition with Yuffie. If he messed up the smallest, Yuffie or him could die.

The two neared the top of the mountain, a black light shining down from the sky. Yuffie squeezed Vincent's hand. This is where they would clash with fate. Come out Victorious or fall back into oblivion.

The ninja and gunslinger made it to the top of the mountain, gazing at the clouds that floated below, watching, waiting for fate to take its toll. A pedestal stood twenty feet from the two, the black light going over it. Vincent turned to Yuffie, worry and anxiety in his blood red eyes. He leaned down and kissed her softly, cupping her face in his hands. Yuffie returned it before pulling away, a storm glowing to life in her grey eyes.

"Go to the side incase Chaos comes flying out of my back," Vincent told Yuffie, his eyes forced to look away from her gaze. Yuffie raised her head and nodded, stepping off to the side and moving up about ten feet.

Vincent stepped up to the pedestal and heard a voice boom from the mountains. "He who is cursed with a demon, hath thee proven thy right to become whole human once more?" Vincent held out the stones in his hand. "Place thy stones over the pedestal in the order you earned them."

Vincent picked up the Valor Stone and held it out over the pedestal. It jumped from his hands and swirled in a circle vertically, pausing at the peak of its pattern. "Thou proved thee Valor when thee saved thy's companion from the cliff face," The voice said. Suddenly, the beam of black turned clear, and the scene of Vincent saving Yuffie was inside it. After it was done, the beam turned a flaming red. The Valor Stone sparked and flame was set around it.

Vincent then held out the Compassion Stone in the beam and it joined the Valor Stone, swooping in the circle counterclockwise as opposed to the Valor stone which was going clockwise. "Ye have proved that ye have compassion when ye sent home that man to his wife even after he harmed your companion," It came once again. The image of Vincent yelling at the man after he found Yuffie came into sight. After it disappeared, the beam became a soft green. The Compassion Stone ignited and shocks of lightning engulfed it.

Vincent then held out the Selflessness Stone in the center of the circle. It caught the rhythm of the other stones and flowed in a horizontal circle at the center of the circle created by the other two stones, pausing when they paused. "Thou proved thy selflessness when ye paid respect to the sacred ruins of Mideel when ye are not of the kin that pay it respect." The image of him paying respect with Yuffie flashed into view. When it vanished, the beam turned clear water blue. The Selflessness Stone cracked, and then was in a chunk of ice, still flowing in the quickened rhythm of the dancing stones.

Vincent finally held out the last stone; The Stone of Love. He held it in the center of the orb that was created by the swirling stones. It caught the pattern immediately and started to work with the Selflessness Stone the way the Compassion Stone worked with the Valor Stone. "Ye prove your love every time ye hold, touch, kiss, or protect the young maiden that travels with ye. As she always has for thee." Yuffie blushed slightly as she saw the image of him giving her the choker and their first kiss. As the event faded from the beam, it turned a luminous white. The Stone of Love glowed and caught streams of light that flowed around it.

"Ye have proven thyself to be human," The voice finished. "And by that, I, the keeper of humanity, give thee the right to be free from the demon within ye. May ye forever be blessed."

The stones whirled together until they were nothing but blurs. They flew up the beam and a white light thrust into Vincent, throwing him back a few feet. Chaos flew outside him, landing just a few feet away from Yuffie. She promptly ran to Vincent, Conformer ready.

Yuffie looked over to Chaos and she gasped, her eyes widened. He was hideous. His skin was a grotesque orange brown; his abs looked like they were carved into him with a hammer and chisel.

Razor sharp spikes adorned his back. His legs were human in the thighs, but they slowly blended until two shaggy hooves were revealed as his feet. His arms were long and thickly muscled, his finger nails were claws.

Two huge bat wings donned his back. The head of a beast mixed with the head of a man looked to be what was on this mass of hideous muscle. Two great, long horns were at the top of his skull.

Fur framed his outer face and small muzzle looked liked it was coming out of a human face. Wild red-black eyes opened up and examined his body. Finally, Yuffie looked at his mouth. His teeth were baring long, yellow, sharp fangs were seen.

Vincent stood, Death Penalty in hand. He pulled Yuffie behind him, eyes filled with hatred for the monster in front of him. He took aim and fired directly at his wings, lessening his ability to fly. Chaos roared in agony and rage sparked in his eyes. "What host? Afraid I might take your precious little wench?" He spurted in a mutilated, demonic voice.

"Hey! You're gonna regret that you ass hole! The said 'wench' can fight too you know!" Yuffie yelled, going next to Vincent and throwing Conformer at his right wing. As soon as it made contact, it was chopped off, green blood pouring from the wound. Chaos winced and turned his attention to Yuffie, eyes blazing.

He charged forward and grabbed her, and proceeded to almost throw her off the mountain. Yuffie grabbed onto one of the ledges around her, pulling her self up. "Yuffie!" She heard Vincent cry out. She then heard a flurry of bullets and the sound of them bouncing off of something.

She pulled herself up and grabbed her Conformer lying a few feet away before running over to Vincent to assure him that she was fine. She turned her attention to Chaos. He had a dozen bullet marks on his abdomen at least; bent bullets lay on the ground below him.

"Any ideas as to how we kill him yet?" Yuffie whispered to Vincent. He proceeded to dodge Chaos's next attack, and then regrouped with Yuffie. "Yes, but we only have one shot at this, okay?" Yuffie nodded as he whispered it to her, with the frequent interruptions of Chaos as they dodged, attacked, and used their materia. Finally the plan had gotten through to them perfectly. But it was a one shot deal. If one person made a mistake, it was all over.

Yuffie unleashed all of her weapons, right down to the last kunai knife. Every single one was aimed at his throat. A few hit while others flew past. Chaos chuckled. "What kind of aim is that? And for a while there I actually thought you knew what you were doing!"

Just then, rapid gunshots were heard and Chaos winced, doubling over in pain, making the kunai that missed visible. Yuffie used her Conformer and drove him back. Vincent came along side her and reloaded Death Penalty.

"Hey bastard! How did you get past the spikes on my back?" An outraged Chaos demanded. Vincent smirked. "In case you haven't noticed, they don't cover all of your back! There were a few holes, and that's all I needed."

Yuffie smiled weakly, though this battle was taking a toll on her. It had been raging for a half hour, and there were cuts and bruises everywhere on her from the spikes on his back. But she would not relent. If they kept up the battle, they might win. Finally, Yuffie dubbed it the proper time to use 'that' technique. The last time she used it was when they fought Sephiroth.

"Hey Vinnie, keep him busy for a little bit," She whispered to him, planting Conformer in the snow temporarily. "I'm gonna bring out the big guns." Vincent's eyes widened for a split second before he nodded and fired down relentlessly on Chaos.

Yuffie closed her eyes and let out a long breath, letting energy gather within her hands. A small light gathered between them as ringlets of light span around her, slow at first, but pace quickening. Chaos saw what she was doing and leapt forward to stop it, but Vincent fired a bullet in one of his eyes, causing him to fall back.

Finally, Vincent got several feet behind Yuffie. She was ready and it was not going to be pretty if he got in the crossfire. Yuffie, now burning with a white glow, opened her glowing eyes, spreading her arms. "ALL CREATION!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, letting loose a torrent of energy and light. Chaos roared in the agony he was in, the blades of light cutting his spikes as if they were made of butter.

When the light cleared, Chaos stood, still barely alive, drenched in his own green blood, both eyes blinded, a hole in his once perfectly chiseled abs. He growled and spurted more blood, dying the snow emerald. "I . . . hate you two . . . so much," He panted, on of his claws having to catch him as he fell to the snow. "And . . . since I do . . . this last attack . . . shall give you . . . but a taste of my anguish!"

Chaos gave one last roar and burst into flames, the explosion forcing Vincent and Yuffie apart. Yuffie slipped just as she was out of reach of the flames and felt her falling. Vincent tried as hard as he could to make it in time, but he was too late. She went over the edge of the top of the mountain.

Just as she glanced up to see Vincent, her eyes welled with tears as her storm eyes began to rain. She yelled out to him "I love you" before plummeting slowly, closing her eyes and waiting for cold ground beneath.

"YUFFIE, NO!" Vincent yelled, stretching his claw out as far as he could, but she was just out of his grasp. He did the only thing he could do. He jumped off the mountain, plummeting to meet her. He grasped on to her, looking at her straight in her storm eyes.

"We will survive," He whispered. "No matter what happens, as long as you are right beside me, things will be alright." Yuffie looked into his gentle red eyes. "I love you Vincent," She said and kissed him softly before pulling away and glancing at his claw then the mountain face. Vincent immediately understood.

He placed his human arm around Yuffie tightly and dug his claw into the rock wall as deep as he could. The claw screeched at the sudden stop as they slid several feet down the surface of the mountain before the two skidded to a halt. Yuffie looked below. It was still a long way down. She squinted and saw Icicle town.

She gazed up to Vincent, eyes worried. "How are we supposed to get down now?" Yuffie asked, glancing around for any ledges. When she saw one, she froze. Monsters were lining every option for escape. And letting go now would be suicide.

A monster leapt off the edge and lunged at Yuffie, causing her to fall. She let out a heart shattering scream as she plummeted feet first. Vincent was frozen in fear. Could she survive that fall? She was a ninja, so she was trained to take less falling damage, but would that help her here?

If he went after her again, he could land on her and after that fall if she was still able to move, that would change very quickly. After shooting off the monsters, he leapt on to the nearest ledge and bolted down the mountain to where he could search for Yuffie.

He still had his PHS, so he could call her up once he got to the base. And at the speed he was going and how much of the mountain they got down from their little 'short cut', he should be able to get to her soon if he didn't get lost trying to find her.

Oo00oO

Tifa hummed to herself as she started chopping a red, ripe apple freshly picked from the garden that morning. Her PHS rang and she stopped chopping and turned it on excitedly. She knew that Yuffie said she would call her as soon as the mission was complete. When she saw Yuffie she gasped in horror.

Yuffie was a wreck. Her clothing was ripped all over, just covering the basics. Blood seeped through her shoulder as her hand protected the wound from the frigid air. Numerous cuts and bruises were all over her beaten legs. "Yuffie, what in hell's name happened to you?" Tifa gasped.

"Vincent . . . is free from Chaos. We fought him and . . . when he died; he gave an explosion that threw me off the mountain. Vincent jumped after me and caught me, then dug his claw in the mountain. Monsters attacked . . . from a nearby ledge and I dropped down the mountain the rest of the way.

I am alive, but . . . I can hardly move. I crawled to . . . a nearby cave that had a hot spring. Please, call Vincent, call anyone, as long as I can stay alive," Yuffie pleaded with her storm grey eyes, small tears starting to form in the brims of them.

"Yuffie, just stay there, we will get help immediately," Tifa told her with deep concern and worry etched in her face and voice. Yuffie nodded. "Get Cloud, Barrett, And Cid to come. The Highwind . . ." She trailed off as she coughed up blood. "Don't talk Yuffie," Tifa told her urgently.

"CLOUD, GET DOWN HERE NOW, WE HAVE AN EMERGENCY!" Tifa screamed up the stairs. A blur was seen in the hallway as a shirtless Cloud rushed in. "What, what's wrong?" He asked. Tifa showed him Yuffie and he immediately understood.

"We will be right there Yuffie, just do not move! Your body is under enough stress already! We will call Vincent and tell him what we can. Just don't talk, don't move. We will get there soon." Yuffie nodded and rested her head on the ground by the pool of steaming water. She would get in it and warm up, but she couldn't even move in her condition.

Cloud got a shirt on and retrieved Barrett and Cid. Tifa came along with them, carrying Kai in many thick blankets. Tifa was okay with staying on the ship, as long as she didn't stay at home while her friend was almost at the point of dying. Nanaki decided to come, but they left Cait Sith behind to make sure nobody would rob the house.

"Hold on Yuffie," Tifa whispered, holding Kai close to her. "I won't let you die."

Oo00oO

Vincent fell to the ice as he reached the base of the mountain. He picked himself up without hesitation and kept on running to where Yuffie fell. His PHS rang and his hand flicked into his pocket, hoping it was Yuffie.

Instead it was Cloud, a serious and worried face on his face. "Yuffie called us up to send a distress signal. She is in horrid condition, and if we don't get to her fast, it could be all over for her. She said she was in a cave with a hot spring," Cloud explained.

Vincent nodded, quickening his run to an all out sprint, ignoring his body's protests. "Do not worry Vincent, We are almost there. Cid thankfully installed a faster engine a little bit before we started, So we will land in the town's outskirts within a half hour. Call us up if you find Yuffie. We are armed to the teeth with Cure 3 materia and anything else we might need to heal her."

Vincent nodded as they ended the call and he stuffed the PHS in his pocket. He saw a small hole in a mountain approximately a mile out and sped to it. He would check every cave in the world as long as he would get to Yuffie in time to save her. As he neared it, he saw a small trail of steam coming out of it. "That must be her," He whispered.

He finally entered the mouth of the cave, panting and red in the face. He saw a form lying on the ground just before the hot spring, chocolate locks shielding half her eyes from his view.

"Yuffie!" He cried out, rushing to her side. When he felt her wrist he felt nothing at first. Vincent began to worry that she might have died, misery and anguish starting to settle when he felt it. It was small and it was faint, but it was there. She had a pulse.

Vincent tenderly picked her up and gently set her down in the water, her head in his hands as he let the steaming water envelope her body, trying to return her body heat. Every few minutes, he would check to make sure her pulse was there. The more she was in the water, the more her pulse was returning.

Vincent heard his PHS ring and turned it on to see Barrett. "Alright, which cave is the brat in?" The large man asked both loudly and anxiously. "I found her," Vincent told him. "She is currently unconscious, but I placed her in the hot spring to get some of her body heat back." Barrett nodded. "You need to send out a flare, or a fire materia spell, or something to give us a general direction of where you are," Nanaki said, coming into view.

Vincent nodded and pulled Yuffie out of the water, taking off his cloak and wrapping her in it. He looked at what ammo he had left from the fight; regular fighting bullets, a flare bullet, and some gun powder. He carefully took out the flare bullet and loaded it into Death Penalty.

He rushed outside, aimed straight above him and fired. The bullet caught fire and sailed up into the sky. He then went back in the cave and lowered Yuffie back into the warm water, seeing that her temperature will drop if she is out for long without blankets.

Oo00oO

"Look! A signal!" Cloud shouted, pointing at a red light that sailed in the frosty air just northeast of them. The four of them bolted in the direction of the flare.

"You think the brat can make it back to the ship in this #&#&# condition?" Cid asked. "As long as she can stay warm in the blankets we brought from the ship," Cloud answered, although he was worried himself.

"Knowing Yuffie, she will make it," Nanaki said solemnly, though his eyes betrayed him. "She has to make it," Cloud whispered. "Hang in there Yuffie, just a little longer."

Oo00oO

Vincent carefully held Yuffie's head above the water when he heard a weak groan and Yuffie's storm grey eyes opened and met Vincent's. "You came for me," She whispered, a small smile on her face. Vincent leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Hush now. You are still fragile from that fall. If you even move, you could put too much strain on your body."

Yuffie nodded, but she still tried to sit up out of the water on her own, wincing as she pressed her palms on the floor of the hot spring. Vincent sighed and gingerly slid his arms around her waist and helped to pull her up. He found his cloak sitting by them on the stone floor and put it on, wrapping it around the two of them as he held her in his lap, uncaring that he was getting soaked.

Yuffie looked up to meet Vincent's gentle red eyes. "We did it," She said, snuggling closer. Vincent nodded, carefully cradling her in his long, muscular arms. Yuffie rose up her head and kissed Vincent passionately, trying to stay as close to him as possible.

Vincent's embrace did not tighten, only held her close. She let his tongue slide in her mouth, making this moment all the more pure. When they broke apart, Yuffie smiled, placed a small kiss on his cheek before she leaned her head on him and rested herself, thoughts on getting home.

"I can't wait to see Kai," Yuffie said out of nowhere, trying to find something to talk about in this awkward silence. Vincent smiled at her optimism and heard a voice that sounded a lot like Cloud behind him say, "I think he would like to see you too." Yuffie turned her head and smiled.

"Cloud! What about Kai? What about Tifa?" She got worried about the poor infant being alone but Cloud told her, "Tifa and Kai are at the ship. Now then, you probably want to go home, so let's get you in some blankets, and then we head back immediately, okay?"

Yuffie nodded, and accepted the help with the blankets gratefully, and then returned to Vincent's arms to be carried back to the ship. Barrett gave a congratulatory pat on the back to Vincent when Yuffie fell asleep about halfway to the ship.

"Yah got rid of your demon and found yourself someone yah love. Not bad for a few months work, eh?" The burly man said, precarious of the sleeping ninja in his arms. Vincent gave a small smile and glanced down at Yuffie. "Yeah. I guess so," Yuffie made a face in one of her dreams and pressed herself closer to Vincent.

"Well, let's not just stand here and have a $#&# tea party! We need to get the brat back to the (#&#! Ship!" Cid yelled, though he was only a few feet away from them. Vincent glared at him in response, but when Yuffie did not wake up, he shrugged and picked up the pace. Cloud came up next to him.

"You know, the morning you two left, she told me that when she is somewhere she trusts with her life enough to feel safe, she sleeps like a rock," Cloud informed him, a small smile playing on his face. Vincent eyed the girl for a second. "Is that so?" He asked, putting his human arm even closer around her.

"You found her Vincent. Don't let go of her, no matter what," Cloud said. "But unfortunately, I must agree with Cid in the fact that we gotta get moving now, or we will freeze." Cloud got going at a canter, closely followed by Nanaki and Vincent, Barrett and Cid bringing up the rear.

After a half hour of some heavy running, they burst through the Highwind and went straight to the infirmary while Cid starting up the engines, getting them ready for the ride home. Tifa handed Kai off to his father, the boy already going after his spiky hair and helped Vincent get Yuffie onto the mattress of the bed in the infirmary.

Tifa spent hours cleaning her wounds, using materia, and bandaging every last cut on her. When she was done, she nearly collapsed. Yuffie was bandaged all over. Her right forearm and left hind arm (you know, the part of your arm that connects with your shoulder. I don't know its real name, so since the other part is called a forearm, I will call the other part the hind arm for now.) were completely bandaged, as was both her calves. She had a minor concussion, but that was healed by materia. Her torso was bandaged from the lower ribs to her hips.

Tifa dubbed Yuffie well enough to the point whereas she should rest for a while, so she kicked everyone out. But Vincent would not move. "Tifa, I know her better than anyone. She is most likely going to have nightmares after what just happened, so I will stay with her." Tifa cocked one eyebrow up her forehead but sighed and left the two alone.

Yuffie popped one eye open when she heard the door close behind Tifa. When she thought she was the only one in the room, she attempted to sit up with her good forearm, wincing as she started, but was forced back down by Vincent. "Yuffie, you need rest, for once you must stop pushing yourself," Vincent told Yuffie, only a trace of sternness in his voice. Yuffie shook her head.

"It's not that," Yuffie said. "I was just a little puzzled why you jumped after me on the mountain. I mean, if we hadn't thought of digging your claw in the mountain, we both would have died." Vincent sat down on the bed next to her, an arm around her waist, delicately pulling her to him. "If need be, I will give my life for you," He whispered as her eyes met his.

As the two kissed, they had no knowledge that Tifa was in fact just behind the door listening to their mushy moment. She ran out the hall silently and back on the bridge, laughing as she went. Cloud was having a small lecture with Kai who was still trying to attack his hair while the others sat in a corner, waiting to be home.

"What did you do this time?" Cloud asked suspiciously. Tifa giggled. "I didn't do anything!" She told him playfully. Cloud sighed he would find out later, so he decided not to press the matter. "Well, I beg you to take Kai for one second. My poor spiky hair can't take much more of this torture."

Tifa giggled once more and took her son and looked out the window, waiting for their home to be on the horizon.

Yay! Chapter 8 is DONE! Okee, the next chapter is the last chapter. I guarantee you it is gonna be WAY shorter than usual, but I thought here was a good place to stop! I am definitely going to write another fan fiction, but no guarantee's when. I am also currently working on a fantasy novel I want to get published, but I promise you another fan fiction will come! As always, reviews are welcome! I wanna break 100 reviews for the next chapter, so please, please, PLEASE review!


	9. Chapter 9

Welcome all my loving and loyal readers to sniff the last chapter. But fear not! I am already brainstorming for either a 'kingdom hearts' fan fiction or a 'final fantasy 9' fan fiction. Why don't you vote! Yup, you vote and decide which I should do! It's the least I can do for having such wonderful reviewers! I went through all the reviews I have ever gotten and not a single one was a flame! I feel so honored. In fact, here is a bonus! If you vote 'kingdom hearts', then tell which pairing: Riku and Kairi or Sora and Kairi? Well, on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot and little baby Kai. (Sneaks behind Cloud and lets Kai tug on his hair) Go Kai! Unleash your wrath of hair pulling! Bwahahahaha! Oh crap, Cloud has his buster sword and he is frikkin' BERSERKED! RUN AWAY! 

Vincent carried the sleeping Yuffie of the Highwind and into the house. He himself was exhausted. As soon as he got in his room with Yuffie, he lay down with her on his bed and fell asleep, grateful to no longer have Chaos roaming his mind. As soon as his eye lids closed, he experienced REAL sleep for the first time in generations.

The difference is simple. Whenever he slept when Chaos was still inside him, that meant his mind was still awake, alert, so he was really just half – sleeping. But when Chaos came free from his mind, his mind is now able to rest itself. And it was there he slept with Yuffie in his arms for two days. It was the same with Yuffie, though she woke up a few hours before him.

When Yuffie did wake up, she looked around to find she wasn't in her room. The room was painted a maroon color. There was a simple nightstand, armchair, and dresser to the left of her. She turned her head the other way and realized that Vincent was asleep. She smiled and snuggled in closer. She was home. She was in her sanctuary. She just laid there thinking about their entire trip from day one to then when she felt Vincent stir at her side and his eyes flicked open.

"Good morning," She whispered and gave him a soft kiss. Vincent returned the kiss before breaking apart. "Good morning," He told her. Yuffie smiled and heard her stomach groan. Vincent's came shortly after.

"Um, why don't we go and see if we can get some food," Yuffie offered. Vincent nodded and the two got up. After Yuffie had changed out clothes to a pair of jeans and a green tank top, the two came downstairs. Tifa looked up from her cooking and smiled. Yuffie ran over to her and gave her a hug.

"You had me worried you wouldn't wake up!" Tifa scolded her playfully. Yuffie grinned. "Well that's a real homely welcome!" She stated sarcastically. Tifa giggled. "Come on, you have to meet Kai!" Tifa went over to the living room where she found Kai and Cloud taking a nap (they woke up at like, noon by the way.) Tifa giggled.

Kai stirred a little and made a soft groaning sound. When he looked up, he saw his 'tug toy' and climbed up his father's shoulder to tug one of his spikes. Cloud winced and sat up, now awake. "Good god child, why are you so intent on pulling my hair off my head?" Cloud asked hopelessly. Yuffie giggled. "Maybe he thinks that if he tugs it hard enough, candy will come out!"

"My hair isn't a piñata!" Cloud said indignantly. Yuffie burst out laughing, watching father and son struggle. "Go Kai, go! Defeat the evil monster that is Cloud's hair!" Cloud glared at her, but said nothing. Kai looked at her curiously before climbing of his father, crawling over to her and pointing one of his tiny fingers at her.

"Ooo-fee," He said shakily. "Ooo-fee!" He stated more confidently. Yuffie was dumbstruck. "Did he just try to say my name?" She exclaimed. Tifa was grinning madly. "I guess we talked to you so much on the PHS, he heard us call you Yuffie, and he saw you, so I guess it's just natural."

"Awww," Yuffie said, cradling the child softly. "I guess now I'm Aunt Ooo-fee!" She joked. The others laughed. Then Yuffie heard her stomach interrupt this 'moment'. "Yeah, I almost forgot, I'M STARVING!" She yelled playfully. Yuffie let Kai down, noticing his angel blonde locks already trying to stick up, his blue eyes sparkling with delight.

"You know, this kid is gonna be the spitting image of Cloud one day," Yuffie said, giggling at the thought of a mini Cloud. Tifa giggled herself and took Kai, handing him to his father, who made sure to keep the little infant's hands away from his hair. Tifa walked in with Yuffie to find Vincent chuckling to himself over the episode in the living room.

After eating, Tifa pulled Yuffie aside and asked, "So, you ready for your belated birthday present?" She asked. Yuffie reminisced temporarily. "Oh! Yeah, why not?" Tifa nodded before she went over to the others and grabbed her wallet, stuffing it in one of her front pockets.

"Come on, we gotta get you a dress for tonight's party," Tifa said, grabbing Yuffie's wrist and pulling her out the door. "We'll be back in a bit!" She called to the others before closing the door.

"Wait, a party?" Yuffie asked, confused. Tifa giggled. "Your welcome home party, remember? You've been gone for months!" Yuffie smiled and tugged her wrist free, skipping along next to her at her own pace.

"So? I want to know the whole adventure, beginning to end in detail you here?" Tifa interrogated. Yuffie sighed. "Well then you will just have to wait for the party, got it?" Yuffie retorted playfully. Tifa sighed and tugged her into one of the shops as soon as they were in town.

"So let's see . . . your main color is green, but I think its okay to take a break form that color once in a while," Tifa said, looking over Yuffie like a test subject. Tifa giggled. "I think you would look nice in a dark red, maybe even a little black. Halters would work spaghetti straps, but nothing with long sleeves. You have a strong, elegant back, so I don't see why showing some of it should be bad. Hmmm . . . okay I have some ideas. Go find a dressing room and wait there while I get some options." Yuffie smiled and went into one of the rooms, closing the door.

After a few minutes, Tifa entered, put the 'not vacant' tag on the door, and showed her some options. The first one Yuffie tried on was a black halter that stopped at her upper thigh and showed half her back. Yuffie looked at herself in the mirror. "It's nice, but I think it would be better if it went down a bit lower on my thigh," She said, trying to tug it down farther.

Tifa sighed. "It is a little skimpy . . . we can put that one on hold," She finally decided. After helping Yuffie out of that dress, she picked up the next option and helped her with that one. This time she donned a blue strapless dress that went down to her ankles but it had a slit on one side, showing off her left leg. Yuffie looked it over with approval. "This one might work. But lets see the other options before we decide," Came Yuffie's verdict.

The phrase 'third time's a charm' came in quite literally here. Yuffie slid on the next one and Tifa's reaction was. "That's the dress. It looks perfect on you," he eyes were wide in awe. Yuffie was wearing a dark red, satin dress that went to mid thigh. It had spaghetti straps and showed about half her back, hugging her waist perfectly. Her choker seemed to glow with her radiance, letting her storm eyes come to life as if lightning was brewing within them. "This is the one Yuffie," Tifa declared. Yuffie blushed the color of her dress and took it off.

"I'll go buy this while you get dressed," Tifa said, taking the dress and slipping out the door of the dressing room. Yuffie got dressed and met Tifa at the front of the shop, a bag in her hand. "Now then, let's see what we can do for dress shoes," Tifa said happily. (Don't forget that her bag of stuff was left behind when she fell off the mountain.)

Tifa and Yuffie then went to the shop next door and picked out a pair of black open toe shoes that had a slightly taller heel, letting her stand about an inch taller than usual. The two then left for home, but unbeknownst to them, Vincent had snuck around them and back getting something of his own before he bolted to make it back to the house before them.

Vincent sat down, hiding what he got in his pocket then covering his pocket with his cloak. Just a few seconds after, Yuffie and Tifa entered the house. "We're home!" Tifa called. She and Yuffie were talking about something he couldn't hear, and then he saw Yuffie run upstairs with a bag in her hand. A few minutes later, she came down once again. Vincent got up to greet her.

"Hey Vincent," She said cheerfully. Vincent gave her a small smile and returned the embrace she gave him. "I've noticed you calling me by my full name more often," Vincent observed. Yuffie giggled. "Well, I guess that little trip we took changed me a bit, you know?"

"Hey Yuffie, it's getting close to the time for the party, get up here so I can help you out with everything," The two heard Tifa call from upstairs. Yuffie smiled, kissed Vincent, and then started to go upstairs. But midway she turned around and told him, "No peeking okay? I want to surprise you and it won't be as good if you see before hand!" Yuffie then turned and disappeared from the steps.

Vincent smirked. She seemed to surprise him every day.

Oo00oO

"Okay Yuffie, its 4 pm, the party is in an hour," Tifa began. "Since you haven't done much girl stuff, I can help with hair and makeup and stuff. Right now, you should just go take a hot shower. Don't be too long though!" Yuffie nodded and went into the bathroom. When she got out she looked in the mirror and noticed something. Her hair was longer than before. It was about an inch past her shoulders. She smiled and quickly dried herself off, slipping into sweats and went back to the room where Tifa was.

"Alright, now let's do something about your hair," Tifa said, leading her to a table by the wall with a mirror and numerous hair styling tools and some makeup. Tifa blow dried her hair and brushed it till it was smooth. Yuffie froze as soon as she saw the scissors. "How much hair are you going to cut?" she asked suspiciously. Tifa giggled. "Don't worry. I was just gonna layer it. Trust me, you'll look great."

And so Yuffie was blind folded but she felt and heard the scissors and their work and also felt the heat of a curling iron. A few minutes later, the blindfold was removed and she looked at herself in the mirror. "Is that really me?" She asked in disbelief.

Her hair was indeed layered nicely, curled inwards to frame her face. "Wow Tifa, when did you learn how to do such good hair cuts?" Yuffie inquired. Tifa giggled. "Top Secret!" She told her. Yuffie shrugged. "Well, what's next?"

"Go get the dress on before I do your makeup," Tifa told her. Yuffie ran to her room and got the dress and its shoes, then came back. Tifa helped her with the dress and she slipped on the shoes before looking in the mirror. "Wow. That is definitely better than before," She approved. Tifa chuckled and motioned for her to sit down. Yuffie did so.

"Okay, you already have a beautiful face, so I am just going to put a little bit here and there, okay?" Tifa told her. Yuffie nodded and closed her eyes. Tifa just put a little bit of blue eye shadow on and a little bit of blush. When she told Yuffie to open her eyes she nodded her approval. The eye shadow just intensified her eyes a bit and the blush helped with her complexion.

Tifa checked the time. "Right on time! It's ten till 5, so I have just enough time to get into what I'm wearing." Tifa shooed her out of the room and came back ten minutes later looking like and angel. She was wearing a white strapless dress that stopped at her knees. It gathered in the back held together by a bow of blue satin. Her eyes had some eye shadow on them and she had a little bit of lip gloss. Though she did nothing with her hair but brush it out.

"By the way, don't expect the guys to dress up," Tifa mentioned to her as the worked their way down the hall. Yuffie stopped just before the stairs. Tifa was a few steps down when she noticed Yuffie wasn't with her. Tifa smiled and mouthed 'its okay. You look great' before she started down the rest of the stairs.

Yuffie heard the others chatting downstairs. She gulped and nervously stepped around the corner and down the stairs. All of the boys' eyes followed her, jaws almost to the floor. (With the exception of Nanaki and Cait Sith) Yuffie blushed furiously and offered a shy smile to Vincent. "Um, I look okay, right?" She asked nervously, one of her hands wringing her wrist.

"You look beautiful Yuffie," He responded whole heartedly, brushing some of her hair out of her face. She took his hand and they all went out to the living room to talk. Barrett and Cid got out a box of ale, Cloud battled Kai in keeping his hair in contact while Tifa and Cait Sith watched, cheering for who they want to win, (Tifa for Cloud, Cait sith for Kai) Nanaki sat at fire while Vincent and Yuffie just sat together on the couch.

"Okay Yuffie, you promised you would tell of what happened on your and Vincent's little adventure, so start telling!" Tifa ordered, pleading with her wine red eyes. Vincent sighed. "You realize I will have to do a share of telling myself, right?" He inquired to Tifa. Tifa shrugged. "So? Just start form when you left to when we came and brought you home!"

"Fine," Yuffie said. She told them of the trip to Midgar and the events that occurred during such. Vincent explained how he found out about the stones and the clue. The two alternated sharing things that happened in the journey for about two hours. "And then you guys found us," Yuffie finished, her hands gently folded in her lap.

All of the others looked dumbstruck. They looked at the two with a newfound respect, as if they were all of the sudden higher than them. "Oh come on you guys, no need to look at us like we're royalty or anything," Yuffie protested. They laughed and went back to normal. "Well, dinner's done, so let's eat!" Tifa said happily, getting up from her place on the couch.

Cid came over to Yuffie and gave a rewarding pound on the back. "You got guts brat. Don't think any of us woulda gone through what you did," He approved. Yuffie smiled and took her seat by Vincent. After dinner, they all drank hot tea in the living room, talking over the things that Vincent and Yuffie missed.

At one point, Vincent tapped Yuffie's shoulder. "If I may, could we talk alone?" Vincent asked, pointing to the garden. Yuffie nodded and the two exited the room. Little did they know that the members of AVALANCHE followed and watched from a distance.

Yuffie and Vincent stepped down the stone stairs and to Yuffie's favorite part. The ground they stood on was a circle of stone, a half dozen fruit trees arranged in a half circle around it. And when you looked the other direction, the moon was easily seen. Long horizontal boulders were on the grass in between the trees for sitting on. Flowers that Tifa planted herself were around every tree, every bush, and every boulder. She even planted Aerith's favorite flower all around the circle of stone they stood on. Yuffie smiled as she looked around, thankful to be home once again.

"Yuffie, I need to ask you something," Vincent started nervously, one of his hands retrieving something in his pocket while the other had Yuffie's hand.

"I was just wondering," Vincent began, and then he took his hand out of his pocket and opened his palm to reveal a gold band with a small diamond set in it. "Would you marry me?" He whispered, slipping the ring on her finger.

Yuffie could have fainted from happiness right then. She was captured in the rapture of this moment, she couldn't even speak. She looked up into his gentle red eyes and smiled so purely, so lovingly, even an angel would be humbled by her radiance. "Yes," she whispered back after she got over her shock of happiness.

Vincent smiled back at her. his heart was soaring at the moment, as was Yuffie's. He picked her up and spun her in the air once before they kissed passionately, his arms around her as if the second he let go, she would disappear. Time itself came to a halt in this one pure moment, and emotion beyond description settling within the two.

The AVALANCHE crew came out from hiding, clapping and cheering. The two broke apart, Yuffie blushing furiously. "Did you not hear the 'can we talk ALONE part?" Yuffie demanded playfully.

She ran over to Tifa and they exchanged a hug. "Congratulations Yuffie!" Tifa cried. "If you guys need any help with the planning, just ask me or Cloud, or, what the hell am I saying, this calls for a celebration!" Tifa finally announced. "Let's go back inside you two! Time to celebrate! You haven't even seen the dessert I made!" Yuffie sighed happily.

Yuffie followed Tifa right beside Vincent, her hand in his the whole way. But none of the AVALANCHE crew saw two stars above them gleam brighter than the rest for one moment in time. And as Yuffie and Vincent went to sleep, they now knew what gave them the ability to fight and defeat Chaos. It was love.

Many years pass . . .

A warm summer day rose mid July. Yuffie woke up and yawned, stretching her arms as she sat up. Vincent stirred beside her and soon he was awake to. "Good morning love," He said, kissing her forehead. "Good morning," Yuffie replied cheerfully. She got dressed then went down the hall and opened the door.

"Anette, time to wake up," She told the sleeping girl. An eight year old girl sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Morning mom," She yawned, pushing her midnight black locks out of her red-grey eyes. "I'll be downstairs in a minute." Yuffie nodded and closed the door then went downstairs to make breakfast with Tifa.

Tifa looked up and smiled. "Morning!" She exclaimed, brushing her hairs out of her face. "Morning Tifa. Hey, where is Kai and Cloud?" Yuffie asked as she helped Tifa with the fruit. "Cloud is teaching Kai how to fight with a buster sword about his size," She answered. Yuffie laughed and finished slicing the strawberries. "Like father, like son I guess."

Anette came down the stairs in a plain dark red shirt, khaki pants, a small jean jacket and white boots, her waist long hair kept out of the way by a red headband that her father had ripped off his for her. "Hi auntie!" She exclaimed, giving her a hug. "Hello Anette," Tifa said warmly, returning the hug.

Anette ate then went outside. "I'm gonna go play outside, okay?" She said to her mother, who nodded in her approval. Anette grinned. "I'll be back by noon! Buh bye!" Anette waved than headed out the door. Vincent walked in a few seconds after. "I see Anette is off already," He observed. Yuffie nodded and gave him his breakfast.

Shortly after everyone was done eating, they heard Anette scream, "Stop it, go away!" outside. Tifa, Vincent, and Yuffie went out immediately to see what was wrong. About three boys had her cornered and were pulling at her hair, taunting her, and one was about to hit her when a voice yelled, "Leave her alone!" All eyes turned to see Kai running at them with a wooden buster sword, his eyes blazing with a blue inferno, spiky blonde hair being blown around in the wind.

He hit the 'leader' of the gang on the back of the head with the broad side and whacked another on the side. The third ran for his life, the others closely behind him. (by the way, Kai is now 12 years old.) Kai lowered his sword and went to Anette. "What did they do this time?" He asked concerned. Anette smiled. "Taunting, hair pulling, rapping feet with sticks, but every time someone tries something, how do you find me?"

Kai scratched his head face reddening. "Can't have anyone going around hurting my best friend, right?" He smiled wide, slightly embarrassed. Anette giggled and quickly kissed his cheek. Kai was stunned. "What was that for?" He inquired. "Mom told me when Papa saved her from a demon, she gave him a kiss. If those jerks aren't demons, I don't know what are!" The two laughed. "Well, let's go play. Let's see if the 'Great Gun slinging Ninja' can face down a swordsman!"

Anette giggled and ran for the house, Kai right by her. Yuffie and Vincent seemed dumbstruck. Tifa just laughed. "Like father like son is right!" She exclaimed, holding her belly from laughter.

The two youngsters raced past them and into the garden, down to the stone circle. "Well, what's the reason for leaving mid battle this time Kai?" A voice came from behind. Cloud, with a wooden buster sword his size, walked down to meet the two.

"It's my fault Uncle," Anette said before Kai could utter a word. "A bunch of boys were hurting me, so he came and saved me. Its my fault for making a wrong turn and going into the wrong end of town." Cloud cocked an eyebrow. "Really? So Kai kicked their butts for hurting a defenseless girl, right?" Kai nodded. "Yes Father. I heard her scream and came running." Cloud sighed. "We'll continue after lunch," He announced before resting the giant sword on his shoulder and walking up to the house.

"So, what exactly did I miss?" Cloud asked Tifa and the others as soon as he reached them, leaning his sword again the wall of the house. Yuffie explained what happened and then he was the one doubled over laughing. "I see. Those two might make quite the couple one day," he said to himself.

9 years later . . .

"Hey Anette, can I talk to you for a sec?" Kai asked, pointing to the garden. She nodded and followed him out to the fruit trees. It was Anette's 17th birthday, she was as happy as you could be. She only wanted one thing more. Kai dug in his pocket and retrieved a small box. "Happy Birthday," He told her, a smile on his face. Anette was excited to say the least. She unwrapped it and found they were earrings. They were silver and were in the shape of little flames, the center of them being rubies. She took out her small hoops and replaced them with the others.

"You know, this reminds me of when mom first got a birthday present from father," She said. "Only there was one slight difference." Kai cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? And what was that difference?"

Anette giggled. "This was," She said and pressed her lips against his in a firm kiss. Kai was shocked at first before he returned it and they broke apart shortly after. "Come on! We can't miss the whole party!" She exclaimed, taking Kai's hand in hers and pulling him forward. Kai smiled and caught up with her, giving her hand a small squeeze. And once more, two little stars gave off a temporary shine as they watched. And whenever anyone asked Vincent or Yuffie how or when they got together, the answer was always 'When we were searching for a way'.

Yup! The story is done! I hope you liked it! I would like to give a big hug to all reviewers for being so great in my first story! Luv ya'll so much! Well, now you must review then vote! KH2 or FF9? That is the question! I promise you all, I will write again. Next story I promise will have more chapters! But until then, I need your votes! As they say in lord of the rings, Namaari!

Ichi


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